Left: West Indies captain Brian Lara (left) and Digicel CEO Stephen Brewer smile during the presentation ceremony of the Digicel ODI Series following the seventh and final match against Zimbabwe at Queen's Park Oval, Trinidad and Tobago, yesterday. The West Indies won the match by 104 runs for a 5-0 series victory. Rain forced a no-result in two of the matches.
Right:
Man of the Match Ramnaresh Sarwan (left) holds on to his award while West Indies captain Brian Lara jokingly looks to crown him with the Digicel ODI Trophy during the team celebration after their 104-run victory over Zimbabwe in the seventh and final match at Queen's Park Oval yesterday. West Indies won the series 5-0. Rain prevented a result in two matches. - DELLMAR
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC):
WITHOUT ANY intervention from the elements this time, Zimbabwe's inexperienced line-up were again no real challenge for the West Indies, subsiding to a 104-run defeat in the final fixture of the seven-match Digicel One-Day International Series yesterday at the Queen's Park Oval.
The comprehensive victory gave the home side the series by a resounding 5-0 margin, with only the weather getting the better of them via the complete washout of the third match in Georgetown, while the penulti-mate match on Saturday was declared a no-result with the tourists at 72 for two in the 13th over in reply to the hosts' 263 for six when the rains came.
But on a sweltering, almost cloudless day in Trinidad, the West Indies posted a similar total - 266 for eight - on the strength of 91 from Man of the Match Ramnaresh Sarwan and contrasting knocks of 45 from former captain Shivnarine Chanderpaul and current skipper Brian Lara (40).
VICE-CAPTAIN
Sarwan also took charge of proceedings on the field in Lara's absence near the end of the day, finally ending speculation as who was the team's vice-captain for this home season following Chanderpaul's resignation last month and the appointment of Lara to the helm for a third time.
Zimbabwe were never able to develop any momentum in their reply with only opener Vusi Sibanda (42) and 43 from wicketkeeper-batsman Brendan Taylor providing some prolonged resistance out of a total of 162 all out.
Dwayne Smith enjoyed considerable late success to finish with four for 29 with his medium-pacers, ending the match when Prosper Utseya was caught by leaping substitute fielder Runako Morton on the long-on boundary off the last ball of the 49th over.
The southern Africans will stay in Trinidad for a tri-nation limited-over series also involving two developing nations preparing for next year's World Cup in the Caribbean, Canada and Bermuda, which begins tomorrow.
STRONGER FOE
The West Indies, however, face considerably stronger foes in India in a five-match ODI series getting underway in Kingston on Thursday as a prelude to a four-Test series.
Maintaining the policy of rotation, the Caribbean side not only made three changes from the previous game but also promoted Chanderpaul, who eventually earned the Man of the Series award, to the opening position from where he had scored his three ODI hundreds. He lost opening partner Chris Gayle for just 11 to a catch at mid-off by Zimbabwe captain Terrence Duffin off Blessing Mahwire.
The medium-pacer also accounted for Sarwan near the end of the innings when the right-hander attempted to loft a delivery over long-on in pursuit of his third ODI century.
However, the bowling honours deservedly belonged to the other opening bowler, Tawanda Mupariwa.
Impressive on the same pitch the day before, the fast-medium bowler began with another miserly spell, and despite coming back on with the West Indies pressing on the accelerator, he made significant inroads with the wickets of Marlon Samuels, Dwayne Smith and Carlton Baugh at a cost of 44 runs off 10 overs.
Sarwan, missed by Gregory Strydom at long-off, was content to avoid extravagance throughout his innings, counting just five fours off 114 balls, but Lara's cameo excited his loyal followers.
The left-hander crashed three straight sixes, one falling at the base of the new pavilion and another sailing onto the roof of the Gerry Gomez Media Centre, before becoming Utseya's only wicket of the innings.
Amid the clatter of wickets in the final ten overs, Baugh played the shot of the match, and possibly the series, slashing medium-pacer Keegan Meth over backward-point for astonishing six.
There was nothing remotely as spectacular from the Zimbabweans in their reply, especially after opening bowlers Fidel Edwards and Jerome Taylor each enjoyed early success.
Duffin gloved a leg-side delivery from Edwards to Baugh while Piet Rinke's miserable series ended when he was bowled by Taylor.
Sibanda and Brendan Taylor added 59 runs for the third wicket. However, their pedestrian progress meant the West Indies were never under any real pressure.
It was the West Indies' first one-day series win since the home triumph against Bangladesh in 2004.
Keeping in mind the lowly status of their opponents, celebrations were understandably muted.
WEST INDIES Innings:
C Gayle c Duffin b Mahwire - 11
S Chanderpaul c Utseya b Higgins - 45
R Sarwan c Chigumbura b Mahwire - 91
B Lara c Higgins b Utseya - 40
M Samuels c Chigumbura b Mupariwa - 6
D Bravo b Higgins - 17
D Smith c Chigumbura b Mupariwa - 4
+C Baugh c Chigumbura b Mupariwa - 19
I Bradshaw not out - 11
J Taylor not out - 4
Extras (lb4, nb1, w13) - 18
TOTAL (for 8 wickets - 50 overs) - 266
Fall of wickets: 1-28, 2-99, 3-166, 4-197, 5-204, 6-214, 7-237, 8-250
Did not bat: F Edwards
Bowling: Mupariwa 10-1-44-3 (1w); Mahwire 10-0-49-2 (1nb, 5w); Meth 8-0-46-0 (3w); Utseya 10-0-54-1 (4w); Rinke 2-0-17-0; Higgins 10-0-52-2.
ZIMBABWE Innings:
T Duffin c wkp Baugh b Edwards - 2
V Sibanda c&b Bradshaw - 42
P Rinke b Taylor - 12
+B Taylor run out (Smith) - 43
E Chigumbura lbw Smith - 3
G Strydom c Smith b Gayle - 2
K Meth c (sub) b Samuels - 16
R Higgins c wkp Baugh b Smith - 2
B Mahwire not out - 10
T Mupariwa b Smith - 0
P Utseya c sub b Smith - 6
Extras (b3, lb4, w14, nb3) - 24
TOTAL (10 wickets - 49 overs) - 162
Fall of wickets 1-10, 2-34, 3-93, 4-102, 5-107, 6-141, 7-142, 8-151, 9-151.
Bowling: Edwards 4-1-17-1 (2nb, 3w); Taylor 6-0-26-1 (2w); Bradshaw 9-0-27-1 (1nb, 1w); Bravo 6-1-22-0 (1w); Smith 8-0-29-4 (2w); Gayle 10-2-17-1; Samuels 6-0-17-1 (1w).
Result: West Indies win by 104 runs.
Series: West Indies win 5-0.
Man of the Match: Ramnaresh Sarwan (West Indies)
Man of the Series: Shivnarine Chanderpaul (West Indies)
Toss: West Indies
Umpires: Billy Bowden (New Zealand) and Billy Doctrove (WI)
TV umpire: Steve Bucknor (WI)
Match referee: Chris Broad (England)
