West Indies Cricket

West Indies moved into a strong position at the end of the second day of the first Test against Bangladesh as they finished on 407-3.

Kraigg Brathwaite brought up his maiden Test double century at the end of the day, but the hosts may regret their slow run rate given the poor weather already in this game.

The game had been due to start at 9:45 a.m. local time to make up for the loss of overs at the end of the first day to rain, but heavy showers overnight meant play was delayed immediately.

The heavy rain continued until just before 10 a.m., although with gloomy overhead conditions, prospects of play before lunch looked bleak.

A pitch inspection was scheduled for 11:30 a.m. local time, and as the umpires came out to the middle, the sun started shining and the covers finally were removed.

Lunch would be taken after the umpires’ inspection, then after the interval, play would finally commence in overcast yet humid conditions favouring the bowlers.

However, Kraigg Brathwaite and Shivnarine Chanderpaul applied themselves well, with Brathwaite moving on from his overnight 123 and past his previous Test best of 129.

The pair moved the West Indians past 300 with relative ease, then Brathwaite celebrated a personal milestone as he passed 150 from 305 balls.

At the other end, Chanderpaul looked his usual concentrated, watchful self, as he hit boundaries sparingly and rotated the strike seemingly at will.

Chanderpaul and Brathwaite brought up their fifty partnership and took their side to a late tea on 344-3, with the former unbeaten on 27 and the latter having reached 166 not out.

It was Brathwaite’s highest score in first class cricket also and was indicative of his powers of concentration even as rain had interrupted proceedings earlier.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh’s bowlers looked powerless and unable to prise any wickets from the obdurate batsmen, who were clearly settled in for a long partnership to build a big total.

After the break, the hosts continued their progress in sedate fashion, happy to let their run rate drop below three runs per over as they did at times yesterday.

Chanderpaul in particular looked totally becalmed as he played out dot balls, with the pair bringing up their century partnership but not looking to accelerate at all.

At drinks, West Indies were 380-3, having failed to really ram home their advantage despite having not lost a wicket all day.

They had let their run rate slide alarmingly and did not hit a boundary in more than 20 overs, a worrying trend if they are to win this game.

Meanwhile, Brathwaite became increasingly nervy as he looked to reach his double century, spending a long time on 199 and playing some extravagant shots to try and achieve 200.

Chanderpaul was also frustratingly slow, and he was also marooned just one shy of a personal milestone as he got stuck on 49 in the closing overs.

Brathwaite finally reached his 200 with a welcome boundary—simultaneously bringing up his side’s 400—to his obvious relief.

Chanderpaul then brought up his fifty that same over, a milestone he reached in 171 balls.

After just one more over, stumps were drawn with the hosts’ score on 407-3, a massive advantage but one that could have been even greater had they upped the tempo.

Bangladesh’s bowlers looked weary, having been unable to break through, even in helpful conditions when they took to the field.

West Indies’ position of strength is undeniable, but with rain around the area and having already affected this match, they will be desperate to make an impact with the ball.

Having been content to meander along at just under three runs per over, the onus will be on the bowlers to hammer home the advantage.

West Indies made a superb start to the first day of the first Test against Bangladesh in St. Vincent as they posted 264-3.

Kraigg Brathwaite was the star of the show with 123 not out, as the visitors’ bowling attack was successfully kept at bay for much of the day.

The West Indians replaced Jason Holder with Shannon Gabriel, while they selected Jermaine Blackwood as an extra batsman instead of Shane Shillingford.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh gave Taijul Islam and Shuvagata Hom debuts in this game, with captain Mushfiqur Rahim then winning the toss and electing to bowl first.

The visitors felt there was something on offer early in the pitch, but West Indies openers Chris Gayle and Brathwaite immediately looked untroubled.

Gayle was his usual aggressive self as he plundered boundaries off a bowling attack that offered very little on a wicket that turned out to have very few demons.

Neither took any great chances and brought up their half-century partnership for no loss in good time, having forced Bangladesh to introduce their spinners early on.

The away side created a half-chance as Gayle was almost run out by Al-Amin Hossain in the 18th over, but he was shown to have made his ground.

Gayle would then push on and reach his fifty with an enormous six of debutant Islam, but he would then be dropped by Rubel Hossain who failed to take a return catch.

Meanwhile, Brathwaite was happy to play a supporting role, and he did not hit many boundaries but continued to keep the scoreboard ticking over.

At lunch, West Indies were 103-0, with Gayle unbeaten on 61 and Brathwaite alongside him having scored 40 not out at the interval.

Unfortunately for the hosts, Gayle would depart for the addition of just three runs to his total as Hom caught him leg before wicket (lbw), although Brathwaite would bring up his own half-century.

Kirk Edwards arrived at the crease at No. 3, but his poor run continued as he was caught by Mominul Haque of debutant Islam for just 10.

That brought Darren Bravo to the wicket, and alongside Brathwaite the pair looked to stop their side’s slide against a reinvigorated bowling attack.

Brathwaite in particular looked very impressive, especially off the back foot, and the pair pushed the West Indian total past 150 with no further alarms.

Bravo hit just one boundary—a big six off Islam—and otherwise was watchful as he looked to blunt the visitors’ spin attack.

Tea came with the total on 182-2, led by Brathwaite on 89 not out, while Bravo was unbeaten on 17 against bowlers who had made positive moves but could not break through again.

Their steady progress continued in the evening session, as the pair continued to look solid in spite of their relatively sedate run rate that hovered around three runs per over.

West Indies went past 200 in the 65th over for no further losses, then shortly after Brathwaite brought up another century, his second of 2014 in what has been a very impressive year.

The opener continued his progress alongside Bravo, with the pair content to maintain their relatively slow run rate as the evening session wore on.

Hom was managing to find some turn and bounce, even on Day 1, and he saw Brathwaite dropped by Rahim on 113 after he had brought up the century partnership alongside Bravo.

Just after the drinks break, Bravo would bring up his fifty from 103 balls, and without further losses West Indies moved past 250 in the final 10 overs of the day.

Their stand would be ended in the 85th over of the day, as after hitting two straight boundaries, Bravo was caught at mid-off by Mahmudullah off Islam for 62.

However, Shivnarine Chanderpaul would come to the crease and help Brathwaite see off the rest of the day, which was curtailed slightly by a downpour that brought things to a close.

West Indies finished the day on 264-3, with Brathwaite unbeaten on 123 having blunted Bangladesh’s bowling attack superbly.

For the visitors, it was a disappointing day having won the toss and chosen to bowl, and with wickets in hand for tomorrow, the West Indians will be hopeful of building a large total.

Rain and power issues forced the abandonment of the one-off Twenty20 International between West Indies and Bangladesh in St. Kitts.

A torrential downpour and unreliable floodlights forced the umpires to call the game off after just 4.4 overs had been bowled and the players had been off for over two hours in a delay.

Chris Gayle and Dwayne Bravo returned for the T20 side, with Sulieman Benn and Andre Fletcher among those to miss out.

Meanwhile, Shamsur Rahman and Mohammad Mithun were brought in for Imrul Kayes and Mominul Haque for Bangladesh from the team that played the third ODI.

The visitors won the toss and chose to bat, and they made a good start through Tamim Iqbal and Anamul Haque, with both hitting early boundaries.

However, in the fifth over, the game was interrupted by a torrential downpour of rain and howling winds that forced the players off the field with the visitors’ score on 31-0.

The game was interrupted for well over two hours, with the ground’s floodlights also going out periodically in the midst of the swirling wind and rain.

Having gone off at 8:17 p.m. local time, the umpires emerged at 10:35 p.m. local time and after a long discussion decided to call off the game.

The floodlights appeared to be the major issue, as power issues at Warner Park meant they flickered on and off and thus were deemed unfit for purpose by the umpires.

It meant a disappointing end for both teams, who share the one-match T20 series and now move onto the two-match Test series.

With their three-match one day international series now concluded, West Indies and Bangladesh now shift their attention to a one-off Twenty20 International.

The West Indians took a 3-0 victory in the ODIs against their struggling tourists, so they should have plenty of confidence going into this fixture.

Venue: Warner Park, Basseterre, St Kitts

Date: Wednesday, August 27

Start time: 8 p.m. local time, 1 a.m. BST (Thursday August 28)

Live on: Ten Sports, Neo Cricket, Star Cricket (Pakistan); Star Cricket, Star Sports (India);
BTV, Gazi Tv (Bangladesh); MTV (Sri Lanka); Fox Sports (Australia); Super Sports (South Africa); Ten Sports (UAE); Sky Sports (UK); ESPN3 (USA).

Weather: According to Weather.com, St. Kitts is likely to be hit by scattered thunderstorms throughout the day, with temperatures reaching a high of 28 degrees Celsius.

Overview

After the home side’s ODI series victory, these two teams now play a one-off T20 before then starting a series of two Test matches to conclude Bangladesh’s tour of the Caribbean.

For this game, there are few surprises in the West Indies squad, with leg-spinner Samuel Badree missing out due to injury.

Dwayne Bravo and Sulieman Benn also return, while Darren Bravo and Christopher Barnwell are the other players to make way alongside Badree.

The spinner’s absence may well be the biggest problem for the hosts, as he is the world’s top-ranked T20 bowler and has been in superb form this year.

However, with Benn available, as well as Sunil Narine, the home side will be hopeful they can fill the gap more than adequately.

Bangladesh, meanwhile, have a few issues to contend with including a batting unit that is short of confidence and a bowling attack that has struggled to make much impact.

They have been further undermined by the reporting of Sohag Gazi to the ICC for a suspect action, although he remains available for this tour.

With star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan suspended, things do not look very promising for the Bangladeshis, with plenty of cricket still to be played in this series.

Team News

West Indies (from): Darren Sammy (capt), Sulieman Benn, Dwayne Bravo, Sheldon Cottrell, Andre Fletcher, Chris Gayle, Sunil Narine, Kieron Pollard, Denesh Ramdin, Andre Russell, Krishmar Santokie, Lendl Simmons, Dwayne Smith.

Bangladesh (from): Mushfiqur Rahim (capt), Abdur Razzak, Al-Amin Hossain, Anamul Haque, Imrul Kayes, Mahmudullah, Mashrafe Mortaza, Mohammad Mithun, Mominul Haque, Nasir Hossain, Rubel Hossain, Shamsur Rahman, Sohag Gazi, Taijul Islam, Tamim Iqbal, Taskin Ahmed.

Key Players

Chris Gayle

He may have missed the West Indies’ recent T20 series against New Zealand, but Chris Gayle remains enormously important in the format.

With the potential to destroy a bowling attack from the top of the order, he could be crucial for the hosts if he can find his form.

Tamim Iqbal

Tamim Iqbal struggled a little in the recent ODI series, but he is still one of Bangladesh’s most destructive batsmen and he remains an important part of their lineup.

If he can gather some momentum with the bat, the visitors will be hopeful of building a big total.

West Indies secured a 3-0 one-day international series victory over Bangladesh, thanks to a win by 91 runs in St. Kitts in the third and final game.

The West Indians did brilliantly to post 338-7 in their innings, and then in reply the visitors reached 247-8 from their 50 overs as they looked largely to occupy the crease.

The home side made one change to their side, as Kirk Edwards was replaced by Darren Sammy, with Lendl Simmons moved up to open.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh also made one switch, as Mominul Haque came in for Shamsur Rahman.

The West Indians won the toss and batted first, but they were immediately under pressure as Simmons skied one off Mashrafe Mortaza and saw Mahmudullah take a good catch.

The following over, things got even worse when Chris Gayle hung his bat at a delivery from Al-Amin Hossain and was caught by Mushfiqur Rahim.

That meant West Indies were 12-2 early on, with Denesh Ramdin and Darren Bravo brought together to try and rebuild the innings.

They made good progress and quickly passed 50 for no further loss, with Ramdin in particular looking aggressive in a somewhat unfamiliar No. 4 position.

The pair then brought up their half-century partnership, while Bangladesh’s bowlers looked to be struggling a little as they were rotated a great deal even before drinks.

Meanwhile, Bravo and Ramdin began to up the run rate, and having been 64-2 after 17 overs, they passed 100 in the 22nd over as the boundaries started to flow.

Ramdin then brought up his fifty with two consecutive sixes off Sohag Gazi, with the century partnership following shortly after.

Bravo also got in on the act alongside his captain and reached his own half-century just after the halfway point in the innings.

The pair continued to look untroubled as they hit boundaries seemingly at will to take West Indies past 200 inside 35 overs against a frustrated bowling attack.

Ramdin was the first to reach his century as he achieved the milestone in 90 balls, then he looked to accelerate immediately for the final stages.

He was followed shortly after by Bravo, who reached 100 in 112 balls, with the pair recording the record partnership for any wicket in all ODIs for the West Indies in the process.

The pair then pushed their partnership past 250 and continued to pepper the boundaries, though Bravo would be removed for 124 as he was caught by Kayes off Mahmudullah.

The West Indian innings fell away slightly in the closing overs, with Ramdin finally dismissed for 169, but they managed to close on a very impressive 338-7.

Bangladesh’s reply started very poorly, as Anamul Haque was caught by Sammy off Jason Holder, then Imrul Kayes followed after a great catch by Kemar Roach off Ravi Rampaul.

That brought Rahim to the crease to join Tamim Iqbal, and together the two set about rebuilding from a score of 2-2 against a rampant bowling attack.

Iqbal in particular looked to be positive at every opportunity, and he was backed up well by Rahim as the pair took the score past 50 for no further losses.

Things started to look even better as Bangladesh passed 100, but then on 101 disaster struck as Iqbal was bowled by Sunil Narine, having made 55 and looked in good touch.

Mominul Haque was the new man, but he did not last long before being caught at first slip by Sammy off Dwayne Bravo for just five.

However, Rahim would continue with his knock and pass his half-century, leading from the front as his side entered the second half of the innings.

Bangladesh were well behind the required run rate by the closing 20 overs, which had soared above 10 runs per over, but they started to accelerate and started to gather some momentum.

With drinks taken at the end of 34 overs, Bangladesh were 150-4, requiring 189 to win but at a required rate of 11.81 runs per over, which looked a stretch for the visitors.

Instead, they looked more concerned with batting out their overs for confidence, but that effort would be damaged as Rahim was caught by Sammy off Rampaul for 72.

Mahmudullah looked comfortable for a time as he searched for some personal form, but he would depart for 27 after being caught behind by Ramdin off Roach.

Nasir Hossain and Gazi would take Bangladesh past 200, although Hossain’s knock was ended on 26 as he holed out to Roach at long on from Rampaul.

Gazi would be bowled by Rampaul for 24, and the Bangladeshis would end their 50 overs on 247-8, with the West Indies victorious by 91 runs.

West Indies secured a series victory against Bangladesh in Grenada thanks to a massive win by 177 runs in the second one-day international.

The home side batted first and made 247-7 on a slow wicket, then in reply the visitors utterly collapsed from 57-3 to 70 all out.

The West Indians selected an unchanged side from the first game, while Bangladesh brought in left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak in place of seamer Taskin Ahmed.

The Bangladeshis won the toss and elected to field, and they struck almost immediately as Kirk Edwards was bowled for a duck by Al-Amin Hossain.

At the other end, Chris Gayle played in his usual aggressive manner, alongside the more circumspect Darren Bravo who came in at No. 3.

Having started watchfully himself, Gayle started to pepper the boundaries and hit some tremendous blows as West Indians passed 50 in the 14th over.

Gayle would bring up his own half-century just four overs later, and was well aided by Bravo who was happy to play the supporting role.

However, the opener’s knock would come to an end on 58 as he slogged a short ball from Mahmudullah to deep midwicket, where Sohag Gazi took a good catch.

With the fireworks from Gayle at an end, Denesh Ramdin joined the fray at No. 4 and helped take West Indies past 100 in the 24th over.

Bravo went on to reach his half-century also, but then shortly afterwards was removed for 53 as Gazi had him pinned lbw.

Ramdin and Lendl Simmons took the score past 150 with ease without hitting many boundaries as they impressed with their fast running, but on 171 the partnership was broken.

The West Indian captain looked to hammer a delivery from Hossain, but only succeeded in nicking through to Mushfiqur Rahim behind the stumps for an easy catch.

Simmons was joined by Kieron Pollard, who looked to carry on his good form from the last game, and he looked strong with some lusty blows of his own.

However, he was bowled off an inside edge for 26 from the bowling of Mashrafe Mortaza, then Simmons departed shortly after for 40, caught at long on off the same bowler.

Dwayne Bravo hit a boundary but then became Mortaza’s third wicket, then some meaty blows from Jason Holder and Sunil Narine lifted the hosts’ score to 247-7 from 50 overs.

Bangladesh’s reply started well as openers Tamim Iqbal and Anamul Haque looked good, but then with the score on 12, disaster struck as Haque nicked to Ramdin off Holder’s bowling.

Iqbal then started to open his shoulders and hit some boundaries, including three in an over off Ravi Rampaul, and looked in good touch as he passed 30 quickly.

However, things were not going so well at the other end, as Imrul Kayes was caught by Lendl Simmons off Rampaul, then Shamsur Rahman was bowled by Kemar Roach for just four.

Iqbal and new man Rahim would take Bangladesh past 50, knowing that they would need to build a big partnership if the away side were to come close to their target.

However, the visitors’ captain would be undone right after drinks, as Narine fooled him with some extra bounce and forced Rahim to nick a cut behind to Ramdin.

The next delivery, new man Mahmudullah would also perish as he was bowled through the gate, leaving Narine on a hat-trick, which he would not quite achieve with his next ball.

In the next over the dangerous Iqbal would depart for 37 as he chipped an easy catch to midwicket off Roach, meaning the hosts had lost three wickets in six balls for no runs.

The carnage continued as in his next over, Narine had Gazi caught by Edwards at deep square leg as he looked to hammer the spinner out of the ground.

Nasir Hossain then followed for just six as he was caught by the leaping Pollard at midwicket off Roach, meaning the visitors had then lost five wickets and scored just 10 runs in 32 balls.

The ninth wicket then followed before the halfway point in Bangladesh’s innings, as Mortaza was lbw to Rampaul for just two, leaving the visitors on 70-9 and facing defeat.

To complete an embarrassing outing for the visitors, Al-Amin Hossain was then run out by Simmons for nought, meaning Bangladesh were all out for 70 and defeated by 177 runs.

West Indies just about snuck past Bangladesh by three wickets in the first one-day international in Grenada to take a 1-0 lead in the series.

The Bangladeshis could muster just 217-9 in their innings, which the hosts reached with seven wickets down, indebted to Kieron Pollard and Denesh Ramdin's partnership of 145.

West Indies brought in Kemar Roach for his first ODI since July 2013 along with Ravi Rampaul and Jason Holder, while Darren Sammy and Nikita Miller missed out.

Bangladesh were without the suspended Shakib Al Hasan and selected Imrul Kayes and Shamsur Rahman.

Host captain Dwayne Bravo won the toss and elected to bowl first, and Bangladesh started comfortably enough through openers Tamim Iqbal and Anamul Haque.

The run rate hovered at just over three runs per over in the opening stages, as Iqbal in particular did not bat with his usual freedom and exuberance.

However, with the score on 41, the partnership was broken as Iqbal hit a short ball from Holder straight to Pollard at short midwicket and he took a good catch.

Shortly after, Kayes was run out after colliding with Haque as the pair turned for a third run in a chaotic passage of play.

He was followed in the 21st over by Shamsur Rahman, who got a thin edge off a delivery down the leg-side from Bravo that was taken by Ramdin.

Mushfiqur Rahim was next to the crease, looking to stop the minor collapse, and he helped Haque take Bangladesh past 100 around the halfway mark.

Rahim would perish on 12, as he top-edged a sweep off Chris Gayle and saw Sunil Narine take a tumbling catch.

Shortly after, Haque would bring up his half-century, but then the Bangladeshis would be five down as Mahudullah was bowled by Bravo for just 11.

One of the away side's better partnerships followed between Haque and Nasir Hossain as they battled hard.

The pair failed to hit many boundaries but did enough to drag Bangladesh past 150, even having taken just 10 runs from the second powerplay.

Hossain would depart with the score on 194 as he miscued a leg-side mow off Rampaul that was taken easily by Ramdin behind the stumps.

Sohag Gazi would join Haque in taking the score past 200, and the opener would bring up his third ODI century shortly after in the closing stages of the innings.

Gazi would run himself out to allow Haque to bat through, then Mashrafe Mortaza was caught by Pollard off Bravo for just three.

From the final delivery of the innings, Haque's knock of 109 would be brought to a close as he was out lbw, having helped his side reach 217-9.

The reply started poorly for the West Indians, as they lost opener Chris Gayle for just three after he spooned a catch to Al-Amin Hossain off Mashrafe Mortaza.

Just four overs later, the home side would lose another as Darren Bravo nicked Hossain behind to Rahim, who took an easy catch.

That began something of a collapse, as Kirk Edwards was bowled in the following over by Mahmudullah and then Lendl Simmons was caught behind off Hossain for a duck.

The West Indians were in all sorts of trouble at 22-4, then things got even worse as Dwayne Bravo handed Hossain his third wicket as he was caught by Gazi at square leg for five.

That brought Pollard and Ramdin together to try and rebuild from 34-5, and they did so in a positive manner as they both scored boundaries and looked to run hard.

The pair went quickly to their 50 partnership and then took the home side past 100 as Bangladesh seemed to run out of ideas on how to prise out another wicket.

Pollard brought up his own half-century off just 39 balls, followed shortly after by Ramdin as they continued their serene progress into the final 20 overs, with just over 80 required.

The right-handed Pollard began to open his shoulders even more as he sent the West Indians careering past 150 with a couple of clubbed boundaries in the same over.

They were interrupted by rain with the score on 153-5, with the later-than-anticipated poor weather forcing the players off with West Indies ahead by the Duckworth/Lewis method.

After the break, Ramdin would depart almost immediately for 74 as he was bowled by Gazi, leaving Pollard and the tailenders to get the remaining 39 runs.

The all-rounder looked to be well on his way to taking West Indies home, but he fell for 89 as he was caught well by Mahmudullah off Al-Amin Hossain, leaving the tail exposed.

However, Holder and Narine held their nerve as they managed to score the 17 required for victory and take the West Indies to a 1-0 lead in the series.

After just over a month of competition, the Caribbean Premier League concludes with the final between the Barbados Tridents and the Guyana Amazon Warriors.

With silverware on the line, both teams will be desperate for one last victory in the showpiece game.

Venue: Warner Park, Basseterre, St Kitts

Date: Saturday, August 16

Start time: 9 p.m. BST

Live on: BT Sport (UK), SonyMAX (India), Fox Sport (Australia), CBN (Some Caribbean Islands), SuperSport (South Africa), ESPN3 (USA).

Weather: According to Weather.com, it doesn’t look especially promising as there will be showers that are likely to hang around all day. Temperatures should peak around 28 degrees Celsius, but that will all be for nothing if it cannot stay dry.

Overview

These two teams finished in the top two of the regular season points table, level on points and only separated by net run-rate after a very close league campaign.

Barbados finished top—and secured an automatic place in the final—but they left it late to secure their position by winning their last game against the Jamaica Tallawahs.

The Tridents were one of four teams locked on 12 points, with that final defeat meaning the Tallawahs had to win two semi-finals to reach the final.

They won the first but then came up against the Guyana Amazon Warriors and were defeated comfortably by 10 wickets.

Guyana bowled well to restrict the Tallawahs to 134-6, as a number of bowlers kept their economy rates below six runs per over.

The star man was Sunil Narine, who took 1-17 in his four overs, while Mohammad Hafeez, Krishmar Santokie and Jimmy Neesham also took one apiece.

In reply, Lendl Simmons and Martin Guptill made short work of their target and sailed past it in only the 15th over.

Simmons finished on 71 not out while Guptill was unbeaten on 66, having both peppered the boundaries and a run-rate of 9.30 runs per over.

That result, coupled with the Tridents’ strong form, means that this final match should be a tough showpiece game as both teams fight for the title.

Team News

Barbados Tridents (from): Kieron Pollard (capt), Jonathan Carter, Shane Dowrich, Kirk Edwards, Rayad Emrit, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Neil McKenzie, Kyle Mayers, Jeevan Mendis, Ashley Nurse, William Perkins, Ravi Rampaul, Raymon Reifer, Shoaib Malik and Dwayne Smith.

Guyana Amazon Warriors (from): Sunil Narine, Mohammad Hafeez, Denesh Ramdin (capt), Veerasammy Permaul, Christopher Barnwell, Lendl Simmons, Martin Guptill, Krishmar Santokie, Steven Jacobs, Ronsford Beaton, Trevon Griffith, Corey Anderson, Navin Stewart, Leon Johnson and Robin Bacchus.

Key Players

Kieron Pollard

Still one of the best Twenty20 players in the world, Kieron Pollard will need to be right on his game if Barbados are to be successful.

With his aggressive hitting and canny medium-pace bowling, the Tridents captain has plenty on his plate and will be determined to have a positive impact.

Sunil Narine

Sunil Narine will be crucial for Guyana if they are to be victorious.

One of the better spinners in the game, Narine will want to strangle the opposition batsmen with his bowling and help lead the Amazon Warriors to the win.

New Zealand beat the West Indies by 12 runs in the first T20 International. The Black Caps secured the win via the Duckworth/Lewis method, largely thanks to the way they limited their opponents' batting order in Dominica.

The Windies could only establish a modest score after New Zealand gave them the right to bat first. West Indies managed 132-8, thanks to the performances of Andre Fletcher and Darren Bravo.

The prolific pairing piled up 82 runs before Kieron Pollard took over. The big-hitting all-rounder smashed a late six.

However, Pollard's efforts were slightly overshadowed by the dismissal of captain Darren Sammy. The skipper was caught out following a poorly judged and reckless strike.

That was symptomatic of a West Indies batting attack that failed to really maximize its obvious talent and push home a commanding advantage. Too many batsmen were overly eager to chase runs even after making mediocre contact with the ball. Denesh Ramdin was run out thanks to this folly.

There were also too many smashers on display, even for a T20 format. Four West Indies batsmen were caught out after chancing a big swing.

It was mostly Trent Boult's steady bowling that tempted Windies' batsmen into those risky choices. He caught Fletcher, while Sammy was caught out from his delivery.

Boult even managed to thwart Lendl Simmons, forcing a leg before wicket (lbw). The fast-pitching lefty was chiefly responsible for stifling the Windies and slowing them down.

Boult was a key part of a bowling performance that gave New Zealand hope of overhauling their deficit.

Here's the full scorecard from Saturday's play, beginning with the Windies' batting effort:

Fletcher certainly wasn't afraid to attack. Sadly, his accuracy was not shared by enough of his teammates. That meant the West Indies finished with a decent score, but it was one that should have been so much better.

Of course, part of the reason that score wasn't higher was the consistency of New Zealand's bowlers. Here is their scorecard:

It was Boult and Anderson's fast pace that caused the most problems for the West Indies. Only Fletcher managed to stay composed enough to still craft good shots.

Boult and Anderson's efforts gave New Zealand a favourable target to overhaul. It was captain Brendon McCullum who did the most damage leading that charge, as the scorecard shows:

Despite Sammy's best efforts, McCullum was just too strong. He smashed a quartet of deliveries to the boundary, including a trio of fours.

But McCullum wasn't the only heavy hitter who dented West Indies' hopes. Taylor blasted a pair of sixes, while Anderson quickly followed suit with one of his own.

With an achievable target in sight, New Zealand's batsmen were able to combine aggressive daring with steady efficiency. Once they had notched a quick and healthy score, they didn't need to chase runs in the reckless manner the West Indies had.

McCullum was the leader of this savvy approach, as Sky Sports noted:

New Zealand’s reply was led by their captain, Brendon McCullum, as he made 40 off 35 balls, including hitting three fours and a six. Cleverly he always made sure his team were ahead of the required rate should the game suddenly be halted, despite the fact they regularly lost wickets.

With five overs needed to make a match official they took left-arm seamer Krishmar Santokie for 17 just before the cut-off point, then made sure they were never behind the par score from then on.

While Sammy and Krishmar Santokie tried to make things difficult, the medium-paced approach of their bowling gave New Zealand a chance to amass runs early. The Windies needed quicker delivery to force mistakes, but they never got it.

On a day when rain forced delays, the Black Caps held their nerve to unsettle the West Indies. It was a disappointing defeat for the latter, who failed to make the most of their batting strength.

For New Zealand, the win was a tribute to the calm leadership of McCullum. He engineered a thoroughly professional win, based on discipline and patience.

Those qualities ultimately stifled the eager naivety the West Indies players displayed throughout, something this team must soon shed.