West Indies pacer Jerome Taylor (left) dismisses Zimbabwe batsman Proper Otseya, caught behind by Chris Gayle (not in picture) during the second One-Day International at the Antigua Recreation Ground yesterday. Taylor grabbed four for 24 to win the Man of the Match award for the second successive match. - DELLMAR PHOTO
ST. JOHN'S, Antigua (CMC):
PACER JEROME Taylor undermined the Zimbabwe batting by grabbing four wickets - three of them in a telling opening spell - to spur West Indies to an easy 98-run win in the second One-Day International (ODI) at the Antigua Recreation Ground (ARG) yesterday.
Taylor, who won the Man-of-the-Match award for the second straight game, captured four for 24 from 10 overs as Zimbabwe were dismissed for 144 in 46.2 overs while responding to the Windies' total of 242 for nine off 50 overs.
West Indies now take a 2-0 lead into the third game of the seven-match series on Saturday in Guyana.
Justice Chibhabha, who batted diligently in compiling a responsible 67 off 106 balls with eight fours, was again Zimbabwe's best batsman - as he was in the first game on Saturday when he made 55.
Taylor first had opener Piet Rinke top-edging a pull to square-leg where Dwayne Bravo took a well-judged overhead catch in the fourth over.
FULL-LENGTH DELIVERY
Then in the sixth over, Taylor bowled Terry Duffin (1) with a full-length delivery before knocking back the stumps of Brendon Taylor (0) with an away-swinger to leave Zim-babwe floundering on 11 for three.
Chibhabha and Elton Chigum-bura (13) then added 56 for the fourth wicket at pedestrian pace before Chigumbura edged pacer Fidel Edwards to first slip in the 20th over.
Taylor returned later in the innings to remove Prosper Utseya for no score as the visitors lost wickets regularly.
Chris Gayle picked up two for 21 to help hasten their decline.
OPENING PARTNERSHIP
Earlier, the West Indies failed to build on a 70-run partnership for the first wicket between Gayle, who stroked a measured 49 from 85 balls, and Runako Morton (16).
The home side lost wickets regularly against a disciplined and spirited Zimbabwe attack.
Ramnaresh Sarwan top-scored with 55 from 60 balls with three fours and two sixes and Shivnarine Chanderpaul compiled a patient 46 from 74 balls.
But it took a typically swashbuckling 30 from Dwayne Smith who hammered 30 from 18 balls with three sixes to help push the score to a respectable total.
Captain Brian Lara failed, making only nine when he became one of three victims of medium-pacer Tawanda Mupariwa, who also removed Morton and Sarwan.
Sarwan used only 51 balls to reach his fifty and the second six in the 34th over brought up 3,000 runs for him in ODIs.
Mupariwa finished with three for 46 from 10 overs.
Gayle, who struck seven fours in his knock, took 16 runs off one over bowled by all-rounder Justice Chibhabha, which included three consecutive fours, including a majestic drive that gave the fielders no chance and sped to the long-off boundary.
WEST INDIES Innings:
C Gayle c wkp Taylor b Mahwire 49
R Morton c wkp Taylor b Mupariwa 16
R Sarwan c Coventry b Mupariwa 55
+D Ramdin lbw Utseya 4
S Chanderpaul c wkp Taylor b Mahwire 46
B Lara c Mahwire b Mupariwa 5
D Bravo b Rainsford 9
D Smith b Chibhabha 30
I Bradshaw not out 6
J Taylor b Mahwire 6
F Edwards not out 2
Extras (b1, w5, nb8) 14
TOTAL (for 9 wkts - 50 overs) 242
Fall of wickets: 1-70, 2-80, 3-85, 4-154, 5-162, 6-183, 7-218, 8-230, 9-237.
Bowling: Rainsford 10-1-32-1; Mahwire 10-0-58-2 (3w, 3nb); Mupariwa 10-1-46-3 (1w, 2nb); Chibhabha 7-0-39-2 (3nb); Utseya 10-0-51-1 (1w); Strydom 3-0-15-0.
ZIMBABWE Innings:
P Rinke c Bravo b Taylor 6
T Duffin b Taylor 1
J Chibhabha c wkp Ramdin b Bradshaw 67
+B Taylor b Taylor 0
E Chigumbura c Gayle b Edwards 13
G Strydom run out (Bravo) 5
C Coventry c Morton b Bravo 0
T Mupariwa c Edwards b Gayle 16
B Mawhire c wkp Ramdin b Gayle 6
P Utseya c Gayle b Taylor 0
E Rainsford not out 9
Extras (w10, nb2, lb7, b2) 21
TOTAL (all out - 46.2 overs) 144
Fall of wickets: 1-7, 2-11, 3-11, 4-67, 5-91, 6-95, 7-114, 8-116, 9-116.
Bowling: Edwards 8-0-39-1 (2nb 2w); Taylor 10-3-24-4 (2w); Bradshaw 10-0-27-1 (2w); Bravo 5-1-13-1 (3w); Gayle 9.2-2-21-2; Smith 4-0-11-0.
Result: West Indies win by 98 runs.
Series: West Indies lead 2-0
Man of the Match: Jerome Taylor (West Indies)
Toss: West Indies
Umpires: Steve Bucknor, Billy Bowden, and Billy Doctrove (TV Umpire)
Match Referee: Chris Broad
Next Match: Saturday May 6, Guyana.
