Young WI bring hope

Colombo - The youth team brought a welcome shaft of light into the general gloom presently enveloping West Indies cricket with an emphatic victory in their opening match of the third Under-19 World Cup in Sri Lanka yesterday.

While the senior team were ending their New Zealand tour with their seventh successive defeat, the teenagers were defeating Zimbabwe by 57 runs in a rain-shortened match at the Nondescripts Cricket Club in Colombo, climaxing their triumph with a hat-trick by the Jamaican fast bowler Jermaine Lawson.

The West Indies compiled 234 for six from their 50 overs after winning the toss, then restricted Zimbabwe to 92 for nine from the 31 overs available after a rain-break. Their target had been adjusted to 149 under the Duckworth-Lewis system.

The West Indies based their challenging total on a fifth-wicket partnership of 125 from 19 overs between captain Ryan Hinds and Marlon Samuels that started in the 30th over with the innings at the crossroads at 102 for four.

Hinds, the Barbadian left-hander, made 58 from 86 balls and played the supporting role to the rampant Samuels who hit three sixes and six fours in 83 off 61 balls that seized the initiative for the West Indies.

Swing bowler Carlitos Lopez put the skids under Zimbabwe with the first three wickets in his first three overs with the new ball, all caught by wicket-keeper Gregory Francois. Lawson removed captain Mlukeki Nkala through Francois? fourth catch in the 11th over as Zimbabwe slumped to 24 for four.

They were not allowed to recover as the West Indies used six bowlers. Lawson returned to finish off the innings with Zimbabwe already beaten, bowling wicket-keeper Travis Friend for the topscore of 39, Hilton Mazakadza and Mike Sherren with the last three balls.

The West Indies started slowly, scoring only 12 from their first 12 overs. Opener Brian Parchment made 26 and Kirk Wilkinson 31 off 58 balls before Samuels joined Hinds at the fall off Narsingh Deonarine for 2.

Samuels immediately took the bowling apart, scoring his 83 out of a stand of 125 with his captain.