West Indies captain Rovman Powell has credited spinner Akeal Hosein for bagging 5-11 against Uganda in the T20 World Cup clash and guiding the side to a thumping 134-run win at Providence Stadium on Sunday (as per IST).
Co-host Windies have won both their Group C matches in the tournament so far. In the opening match, they outclassed Papua New Guinea by five wickets to open their campaign on high.
After setting the total of 173/5 in 20 overs, Hosein’s five-wicket haul bundled out the newcomers to 39 all out in 12 overs. The no. 3 ranked T20I bowler wreaked havoc from his first over and dismantled Uganda’s batting order in his four-over spell. Other bowlers also joined the party and made their contribution in the rout.
Barring Juma Miyagi (13*), no other batter was able to stand on the crease for more than 10 balls.
“Credit to Akeal, no wonder why he is the number 3 ranked bowler in this format. He has done the same against top sides as well. He bowled wicket to wicket and did his job. Cricket isn’t that easy here and teams need to play well. The Guyanese crowd have been superb,” Powell said in the post-match presentation.
However, the West Indies skipper admitted that the team is yet to achieve their peak in the tournament. “We talk about improving. We were a little flat in the first game. We had some rust in the first game. We were 60 per cent in the first game. Now, we are operating at 70-80 percent,” Powell said.
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Hosein’s fifer was the second-best T20I bowling figure for West Indies and sixth-best in a T20 World Cup.
Reflecting on his performance, the left-arm spinner said, “I think I needed this. In the nets and in the previous series, I felt like the ball was coming out of my hand good. I think I was doing everything right in the nets but I just wasn’t getting the rewards. Just have to stay calm and it’ll be my turn soon.”
Commenting on his mindset and thought process, Hosein said he capitalised on the conditions and bowled accordingly. “For me, it’s about trying to react to what the surface is doing and trying to plan out your over, that’s the key. Even though you are getting the ball to move both ways, if you don’t plan out your over, then you can end up in a mess. It’s about good lengths and trying to plan the over well.
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“I don’t mind, I am happy to bowl wherever the team needs me. When you are in that good form, you just continue and bowl out four overs,” he added.
Earlier, Johnson Charles’ 44 and Andre Russell’s blasting unbeaten 30 off 17 balls including six fours guided the hosts to 173/5 in 20 overs.
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