Posted on 07/11/2006 6:12:15 AM PDT by BaBaStooey
WINDIES XI MAKE CLEAN SWEEP OF US PROMOTIONAL SERIES by CMC 10 July 2006 20:38
BROOKLYN, New York - A star-studded West Indies XI made a clean sweep of their two-match series against the United States with contrasting wins over the weekend at the Floyd Bennett Cricket Field.
While they snatched a narrow five-run win in the first game on Saturday, they powered their way to an emphatic six-wicket victory on Sunday, with captain Brian Lara and Chris Gayle hammering half centuries.
Batting first in the opening 40-overs game, West Indies made 214 for six which was due largely to a polished 70 from Ramnaresh Sarwan, who hit five fours in his 83-ball knock.
Lara made 36, with two fours and a six, before former Windward Islands left-arm pacer Mike Alexis prised out the genius left-hander as he attempted to hoist him out of the ground
Chris Gayle hammered 23 including a six and a four in adding 43 for the first wicket with Darren Ganga who made 17.
Shrivnarine Chanderpaul and Dwayne Smith both chipped in with 21.
Imran Awan, the Pakistini-born opening bowler, snatched three Windies scalps - Sarwan, Chanderpaul and Smith -- for 39 runs while Alexis ended with two for 31.
In reply, Jamaican-born Rashard Marshall, relative of Jamaica and West Indies batsman, Xavier Marshall cracked a pugnacious, undefeated 90 to bring the United States close to reaching their target.
He added a valuable 115 for the sixth wicket with captain Steve Massiah whose 58 came from 104 balls.
They came together with the US in a spot of bother on 94 for five, but Marshall blasted seven fours and two sixes in just 56 balls, including 16 runs in a Wavell Hinds' over, to engineer the US recovery.
With the US requiring 17 runs for victory from the last over, Lara sent down his leg-spin conceding 11 runs while accounting Massiah's wicket.
In the second game on Sunday, Lara hammered 70 off just 43 balls, including nine fours and three mammoth sixes as the West Indies, chasing a target of 234 for eight, reached 237 for four off 30 overs.
Lara was joined by Gayle who blazed 62 off 33 balls, hoisting six massive sixes and four fours, including three successive sixes off former Trinidad and Tobago national player Glen Lorick's first over.
Lorick's first over, the last of the match, conceded 30 runs.
Second Match West Indies XI (237 for 4, 30 overs) defeated United States XI (234 for 8, 40 overs) by six wickets.
Someone has taken pictures of the event, I will try to post them to this thread sometime later.
This was a very good showing by the United States against a top level cricket team from the West Indies, who sent their regular starting eleven to the United States. They had just beaten India in a one-day series (limited overs), which is no easy task.
Oh, good, now that soccer season is over we get to be berated for not joining the rest of the world on another sport.... ;)
WOW! Right up there with Soccer.
I have watched cricket matches before. There's a park outside downtown Minneapolis where Pakistanis and Indians gather to play it.
I've watched it and read some of the rules and I admit, I still don't understand it. The best I can say is that it's somewhat kinda sorta like baseball.
So, were the crickets playing baseball, soccer or bowling?
I never knew that insects were into team sports. I haven't seen it on The Ocho.
Garde la Foi, mes amis! Nous nous sommes les sauveurs de la République! Maintenant et Toujours!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! We are the saviors of the Republic! Now and Forever!)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)
Tens of thousands of people in this country play the sport and millions watch and follow it. Believe it or not. It just doesn't have the hype that soccer has.
"First Match West Indies XI (214 for 6, 40 overs) defeated United States XI (209 for 6, 40 overs)"
Capt. Oeuver: we won by 40 overs, over
Control Tower: huh?
Capt. Oeuver: it's cricket
CT: I thought you were Capt. Oeuver, over
CO: no, no..cricket..they use wickets
CT: huh?
CO: this is capt. oeuver..you don't understand cricket? over
CT: cricket is out to lunch, she's not here
I wasn't aware of that. Thanks for the info.
I would love a chance to see Brian Lara in person.
The West Indies and India will be playing one day international matches up in Toronto this September.
They would have played a couple of matches in the USA as well, but I am hearing reports that the USA was bypassed because the two teams didn't want any of the money going to the corrupt United States of America Cricket Association. There have been a few FR articles posted in the past about those problems.
United States v. Canada in Cricket is the oldest international competition in the world. Dates from something like 1840 -- before baseball was even invented.
That is correct. Prior to baseball's spread during the Civil War, cricket was our national sport, and up until the turn of the 20th Century, we were a world power in the sport.
I don't see how it isn't possible that we cannot regain at least a portion of that glory.
George Washington and John Adams were fans:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_cricket_team
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