The West Indies cricket team advanced to the Super Eight stage of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup unbeaten after successfully defending 165 against Italy at Eden Gardens Thursday morning.
Led by captain Shai Hope, the Windies produced a disciplined all-round performance to secure a 42-run victory.
Hope continued his rich vein of form, registering back-to-back half-centuries with a composed 75 to anchor the innings. He was supported by Roston Chase and Sherfane Rutherford, who both contributed 24 runs as the Caribbean side posted 165.
Defending the total, the West Indies bowlers delivered a clinical performance. Shamar Joseph led the charge with 4/30, while Matthew Forde returned 3/19 and Gudakesh Motie chipped in with 2/24.
Italy were bowled out for 123, falling 42 runs short as the Windies maintained their unbeaten run heading into the next phase of the tournament.
In another result, Zimbabwe produced a major upset by defeating Sri Lanka to enter the Super Eight unbeaten.
Sri Lanka posted 178/7, but Zimbabwe successfully chased down the target with three balls to spare, finishing on 182/4 in a confident run chase.
Meanwhile, Afghanistan cruised to an 82-run victory over Canada national cricket team.
Afghanistan piled up 200/4 from their 20 overs, powered by Ibrahim Zadran’s 95 off 56 balls. Sediqullah Atal added 44, while Rahmanullah Gurbaz struck 30 off 20 deliveries. Jaskarandeep Singh was the pick of the Canadian bowlers with 3/52.
Chasing 201 for victory, Canada were dismissed for 118. Harsh Thaker top-scored with 30 and Saad Bin Zafar made 28.
Mohammad Nabi starred with the ball for Afghanistan, claiming an outstanding 4/7 from four overs. Rashid Khan took 2/19, while Azmatullah Omarzai and Mujeeb Ur Rahman picked up one wicket each.
Afghanistan sealed the match by 82 runs, rounding off a dominant performance.
