Watch: Kyle Mayers saw his middle stump get uprooted by a vicious inswinger from USA’s Kyle Phillip that left West Indies in a spot of bother at 14-2 in their opening fixture at the World Cup Qualifier today (June 18) in Harare.
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The much-anticipated World Cup Qualifier got underway today (June 18) with hosts Zimbabwe taking on Nepal at the Harare Sports Club and West Indies taking on USA at the Takashinga Cricket Club, both in Harare.
West Indies, on paper one of the strongest teams in the competition, got off to a poor start as the USA opening bowlers kept their top order in check. Having won the toss, USA elected to field first as Saurabh Netravalkar and Phillip starred with the new ball.
Both of them got appreciable movement in the air as West Indies couldn’t score a run till the last ball of the third over. By then they had already lost one of their openers Brandon King.
Mayers was finding it tough to get going as well as he struggled his way through to two off 14 balls before he was undone by a peach of a delivery.
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Bowling from over the wicket to the left-hander, Phillip got one to shape back in from a back of length and cut Mayers in half. He had no clue how to deal with the vicious inswinger as it crashed into his stumps, sending the middle stump cartwheeling.
West Indies eventually recovered on the back of fifties by Johnson Charles, Shai Hope, Roston Chase, and Jason Holder as they posted 297. Phillip finished with figures of 9.3-1-56-3.
Having got off to such a good start, USA would be a bit disappointed that they allowed the West Indies to get close to 300.
