ST GEORGE’S – Veteran Chris Gayle struck a scintillating 25th one-day international hundred and passed 10 000 career runs, but the task of completing their highest-ever successful run chase proved too much for West Indies and they slipped to a 29-run defeat to England in an entertaining fourth ODI here yesterday.
Faced with a daunting target of 419 at the Grenada National Stadium after Jos Buttler and captain Eoin Morgan had pummelled high-quality hundreds, West Indies appeared poised to spring a massive surprise when the left-handed Gayle smashed a breathtaking 162 off 97 deliveries.
But despite Darren Bravo’s 61 from 59 balls and Carlos Brathwaite’s maiden ODI half-century in gathering 50 from 36 deliveries towards the end, the Windies suffered a late collapse to be all out for 389 off 48 overs– their highest ever ODI total.
The hosts lost wickets in clusters as speedster Mark Wood, with four for 60, triggered a middle-order collapse before leg-spinner Adil Rashid polished off the tail with five for 85, in an anticlimactic end to the high-scoring affair.
The Windies were under pressure at 301 for six in the 36th over before Brathwaite and Ashley Nurse (43) revived their hopes with a sensible 88-run, seventh-wicket partnership. (CMC)
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