Charles, Carter fifties keep West Indies alive

Johnson Charles and Jonathan Carter scored half centuries as West Indies kept alive their hopes of securing a World Cup quarter-finals berth with a six-wicket victory over United Arab Emirates at McLean Park in Napier on Sunday.

West Indies had to win the game to give themselves a chance of qualifying for the knockout stages from Pool B and now await the outcome of the Ireland-Pakistan game in Adelaide.

With heavy rain expected later on Sunday as Cyclone Pam tracks south from the Pacific islands, West Indies had to reach their victory target quickly and made 176 for four in 30.3 overs.

That improved their net run rate to -0.042, which is currently better than both Ireland and Pakistan and could be a factor in determining fourth place in Pool B.

The team that finishes fourth face New Zealand in Wellington in the quarter-finals.

Charles hit eight boundaries and two sixes in his first 50 runs, which came off 34 balls, before he was dismissed for 55 trying to up the tempo even further.

The left-handed Carter was more circumspect but still scored at almost a run a ball before he achieved his maiden half century and finished on 50 not out as he and Denesh Ramdin (33) saw their team home with an unbroken 58-run partnership.

West Indies captain Jason Holder and his new ball partner Jerome Taylor had earlier laid the platform for the victory as they ripped through UAE's batting lineup.

Holder took four wickets, while Taylor chipped in with two of his three in a spell in which they reduced UAE to 46-6 before Amjad Javed and Nasir Aziz combined for a 107-run partnership that gave their score some credibility.

Holder had Andri Berenger (seven) and Krishan Chandran (nought) caught behind the wicket then trapped Amjad Ali lbw for five to leave UAE in deep trouble at 17-3 in the sixth over.

Taylor then produced two beautiful swinging deliveries to bowl Khurram Khan (five) and Shaiman Anwar (two) as the associate nation slumped to 26-5.

Swapnil Patil and Amjad Javed stopped the rot before Holder took his fourth wicket when he bowled Patil for six.

Javed (56) and Aziz (60), however, then frustrated the West Indies bowlers by scoring maiden half centuries as UAE were eventually dismissed for 175 in 47.4 overs.

UAE innings

West Indies captain Jason Holder and his new ball partner Jerome Taylor did all they could to ensure their side kept their World Cup quarter-finals chances alive as they dismissed United Arab Emirates for 175 at McLean Park in Napier on Sunday.

Holder took four wickets, while Taylor chipped in with two of his three in a spell in which they reduced UAE to 46 for six before Amjad Javed and Nasir Aziz combined for a 107-run partnership that gave their score some credibility.

Holder, who had won the toss and chosen to field, ripped the top off UAE's batting as he had Andri Berenger (seven) and Krishan Chandran (nought) caught behind the wicket then trapped Amjad Ali lbw for five to leave UAE in deep trouble at 17 for three in the sixth over.

Taylor then produced two beautiful swinging deliveries to bowl Khurram Khan (five) and Shaiman Anwar (two) as the associate nation slumped to 26 for five.

Swapnil Patil and Amjad Javed stopped the rot before Holder took his fourth wicket when he bowled Patil for six.

Javed (56) and Aziz (60), however, then frustrated the West Indies bowlers by scoring maiden half centuries which produced a noticeable drop in intensity from the fielders.

West Indies will need to chase the score without opening batsman Chris Gayle, who was ruled out before the toss with a back injury.

Preview

The West Indies will be looking to dispose of the United Arab Emirates in swift fashion on Sunday, captain Jason Holder said as a looming storm threatened their World Cup play-off chances.

The West Indies must beat the amateurs to make the quarter-finals, but it will be an early flight home if they lose, or if approaching Cyclone Pam forces the game to be abandoned.

"It's a must-win game for us. Obviously if the weather plays a part, it's beyond our control, but we just need to control what we can control, and that's the game," Holder said Saturday.

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"If we can wrap it up as quickly as possible, that's a plus for us."

The West Indies go into the match two points behind Pakistan and Ireland with all three sides in contention for the remaining two quarter-final spots from Pool B behind India and South Africa.

A win to the West Indies should put them into the play offs with a superior run rate over the loser of the Pakistan-Ireland match to be played later Sunday in Adelaide.

Holder was also not shy in outlining their plans for UAE who struggled against a barrage of short deliveries when they faced South Africa's battery of quicks.

"Obviously they seem to not like the aggressive stuff, so it's in our nature to be aggressive and we just need to be aggressive and play aggressive cricket."

With rain forecast late in the day in Napier, the West Indies cannot afford a washout as the one point for an abandoned game will not be enough to get them through.

"I can't play the weather. If it comes, it comes. If it doesn't, we just need to do what's required of us," Holder said, emphasising the need to have the game sewn up before the rain arrives, but to do so without taking unnecessary risks.

"It's ideal that we probably wrap it up as quickly as possible, but we still have to play the cricket, and to win it on merit is the best way to do it," he said.

"I don't think we should think too far ahead but we should take it stage by stage and just try to come out with a win, which is most important."

It has been an up and down tournament for the West Indies who started with a shock loss to Ireland and were beaten by India and South Africa.

But they picked up comprehensive wins against Pakistan and Zimbabwe, when Chris Gayle burst into life after a series of low scores to smack a tournament record 215.

Holder, a surprise choice to captain the side, said that before the World Cup, he did not expect to be in a fight for survival come their final pool game.

"I think any team would love to have qualified by now, heading into the quarter-finals stage," he said.

"I can't really look back and say, well, we've been horrible here, we've been horrible there. It's cricket. It's the way the game goes. You win some, you lose some.

"The better we do in this game tomorrow, the better the chance we stand of qualifying into the quarter-finals."

UAE vow to knock out West Indies

There won't be any favours for the West Indies in their must-win World Cup clash against the United Arab Emirates on Sunday, with UAE skipper Mohammad Tauqir saying they want to knock the former champions out of the tourmament.

The West Indies, the 1975 and 1979 winners, are locked in a three-way battle with Pakistan and Ireland to fill the final two qualifying spots in Pool B behind India and South Africa.

They will sneak into the quarter-finals with a win over the UAE and at the expense of whoever loses the match in Adelaide between Pakistan and Ireland later Sunday.

Although the UAE have yet to register a point, Tauqir said Ireland's win over the West Indies early in the pool play has given them hope they too can topple the Caribbean side.

"They're not playing as consistent cricket as they should be, but that's an opportunity for us,' he said.

"But we need to do our basics right. We need to bowl well, bat well, field well. We have to play very good cricket to beat them, but I can see that's possible."

Although the West Indies' Chris Gayle-led batting line up is capable of feasting off the UAE bowlers, who have been further weakened by the loss of the injured Fahad Al Hashmi, Tauqir feels they are also vulnerable.

"They'll be under pressure of chasing a run rate, and I think it gives us opportunity to play freely and express ourselves either batting or bowling," he said.

"West Indies will be under pressure of getting qualified for the knockout stage."

Although the UAE are definite underdogs, opener Andri Berenger described the atmosphere in their camp as "positive, confident" as they look for an elusive first win.

"We saw Ireland beat the West Indies, it gives us a lot of confidence, and I think we can do that as well," he said.

"The West Indies team is also a very unpredictable side. They heavily rely on Chris Gayle, so we can see some opportunity playing against them."

But win or lose against the West Indies, one thing for certain is the UAE side will fly home on Monday at the end of their pool matches in their second World Cup campaign and first since 1996.

Tauqir said they were far from despondent with their lack of success so far.

"We started the tournament well, the two games against Zimbabwe and Ireland. I think we had one bad game against India, but I would say even the games against Pakistan and South Africa were decent performances from our side," he said.

"Although it has been a long tournament, we were getting a few good breaks between the games. Everybody is fit and looking forward to tomorrow's game and to end this tournament on a winning note."

Five facts:

- Chris Gayle is one of three players to score at least 200 runs in the tournament and take at least five wickets, along with Tillakaratne Dilshan and Sean Williams.

- Shaiman Anwar scored 78 runs in his first six ODI innings; he has hit 360 in his last six.

- West Indies have won just three of their last 14 tosses at World Cups, electing to bat first on all three occasions.

-  Manjula Guruge (34.1%) has had the highest percentage of defensive shots played off his bowling in the tournament.

- Jason Holder has scored 86.7% of his tournament runs in front of square, the highest percentage of anyone with 50+ runs.

Teams and officials:

West Indies (from): Jason Holder (capt), Marlon Samuels, Sulieman Benn, Johnson Charles, Jonathan Carter, Sheldon Cottrell, Chris Gayle, Denesh Ramdin, Kemar Roach, Andre Russell, Darren Sammy, Lendl Simmons, Dwayne Smith, Jerome Taylor, Nikita Miller.

United Arab Emirates (from): Mohammad Tauqir (capt), Khurram Khan, Swapnil Patil, Saqlain Haider, Amjad Javed, Shaiman Anwar, Amjad Ali, Nasir Aziz, Rohan Mustafa, Manjula Guruge, Andri Berenger, Fahad Al Hashmi, Mohammad Naveed, Kamran Shahzad, Krishna Chandran

Umpires: Aleem Dar (PAK) and Ranmore Martinesz (SRI)
TV umpire: Richard Kettleborough (ENG)
Match referee: Chris Broad (ENG)
Weather forecast: Sunny breaks with the odd shower possible. Maximum temperature 22 Celsius
 

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