Shai Hope's 109* helps West Indies whitewash Afghanistan
Afghanistan have now lost their last 12 ODIs, a streak that began with the 2019 World Cup
Afghanistan have now lost their last 12 ODIs, a streak that began with the 2019 World Cup
Scorer: Ranjith P | Commentator: Debayan Sen (@debayansen)
9.51pm That's that then. West Indies were precise, powerful, and thoroughly professional. A 3-0 win sets them up well for the three-match T20 series. Join us for the first of those T20Is, which is on November 14. For the moment, this is Debayan Sen signing off on behalf of Ranjith, Venkat and Hemant. Good night, and follow the game with ESPNcricinfo
Presentation time for the match and the series
Kieron Pollard: "(Team showing character) We are thankful to god for giving us this opportunity. We came here with a mission and specific roles for players, and all the players deserve credit. (Whitewash in five years) Winning is a habit, and anything that we want to do as a team is a process, and it's something we had to improve in a period of time. This was an opportunity for us to show we have that kind of venom inside us. We knew we had to rally as a team, and we proved we can bat 50 overs, and once we do that, we can win games. (On coming out higher than Chase) Everything you do is a process, but Shai showed again how good he can bat. King in his first bat batted well, and Roston again batted well. Credit to those in the support staff also for helping the team."
Roston Chase is the player of the series, tells the broadcasters cuts to the chase: "Skipper told me last night we'll bat in a different position, but he said, 'Don't worry. Just concentrate on your bowling, and if you get a chance to bat, show that.' He said, 'Ros, just take over and play at a run-a-ball.' I did that, and put away the boundary balls. (On his bowling) I was just trying to vary my pace, and the pitch was helping out a lot. Each game, our bowlers came to the party. This is my first series win in five years, and I'm quite happy for that."
Shai Hope is the player of the match, tells the broadcasters: "(On his birthday, which was on November 10) It was a long time coming. We've been waiting for this series win for a long time, so it felt good. Someone had to put his hand up and bat through the innings. Felt good to be able to do it. It's just about reading the situation, and as long as someone batted through, we were always going to win the game."
Rashid Khan: "(Outcome) The way they supported us and came for us was amazing. We were just trying to be better in each and every game. There were more positives from us in today's game. The kind of finishing we got from Asghar and Nabi gave us a chance to win the game. We should have defended this total, but Hope played without giving us any chances. (Ahmadzai) We can expect that kind of bowling. He's the most senior bowler for us right now, and he can give you good balls by hitting the good length areas. He can get lots of confidence from this game, and take it to the T20s. (About the T20 series) We have to focus on doing the right things, and making the right decisions at the right time. T20 is all about enjoyment, and we have to keep enjoying, whether in batting, bowling or fielding. The results will take care of themselves."
Abhijato: "Top 5 lessons from this series: (1) Rashid needs to bowl earlier, (2) the Afghan batsmen need to rotate the strike much more efficiently, (3) Alzarri Joseph is a hidden gem, (4) Shai Hope is one of the world's best anchoring batsmen, and (5) cricket is still awesome at the end of it all!"
Mustafa Moudi: "Rashid Khan in his last 10 ODI - 5 wickets at 96.20 & BBI 38/1.... He has not picked more than 1 wicket a single time in these matches. Any reason for such a dip in his bowling form ??" --- I would think a combination of two factors, both related. Opposition teams know he's dangerous, and hence play him out with caution. This probably leads him to putting too much pressure on himself, and hence bowling a few poor balls along the way. He'll get around these issues, though
Ritwik: "Rashid Khan is very young as a captain. He is phenomenal in his own bowling business. He will only keep improving from these lessons. No one became successful captain from the very start. They kept trying and learning and eventually they become. "
9.29pm Shai Hope and Roston Chase -- how well these two have been right through this series -- punch gloves as they celebrate a well-mastered chase. West Indies were in a spot of bother early on after Mujeeb Ur Rahman got rid of Evin Lewis and Shimron Hetmyer, but Shai Hope dropped anchor masterfully and allowed the others to play freely alongside him. There was a glimmer of hope when Nicholas Pooran fell, but Hope and Pollard, and then Hope and Chase have batted beautifully to chase down this 250. Afghanistan have a lot of going-back-to-the-drawing-board to do, and they don't have a lot of time between now and the three-match T20 series. Will make for an exciting contest, though, especially considering how competitive today's game was for most part
Vinod Rajpal: ""When was the last time West Indies white-washed a Particular Team ??" --- 2014, when they whitewashed Bangladesh, much to the chagrin of my Bangladesh-worshipping colleague Anuj Vignesh
Ahmadzai
"West Indies have Hope, and it looks like they are going to Chase this. The whitewash would make them King over Afghanistan, who have performed Poor-an." --- This round comprehensively goes to Hamza Adeel
Video footage in West Indies' third ODI against Afghanistan showed him using his thumbnail to scratch the ball
Afghanistan have now lost their last 12 ODIs, a streak that began with the 2019 World Cup
The team has not won or swept an ODI series since 2014, but will fancy their chances against Afghanistan