West Indies opened their home ICC T20 World Cup with a victory over Papua New Guinea as they chased down the target of 137 runs with 6 balls and 5 wickets to spare.
Despite defending the modest total, PNG put up a courageous effort with the ball to push the seasoned Windies till the 19th over and managed to dismiss five different batters during the encounter between the sides at the Providence Stadium in Guyana.
WI skipper Rovman Powell appreciated PNG’s fight and expressed that he was happy to kick things off with a win during the post-game presentation on Sunday.
“Their plans were simple, and they play some good cricket. It’s important to get two points, and that’s what we did,” Powell began.
The Windies won the toss and Powell opted to bowl as PNG managed to put up 136 runs on the board for the loss of nine wickets. Powell opined that they looked to contain their opposition for even less and expressed a desire to tighten up the bowling screws as the event goes on.
“It was 10-15 too much. As a bowling group, that’s what we want to tighten up. Since I turned captain, 70-80 per cent team has been playing together,” he said.
Roston Chase’s unbeaten 42-run knock with the bat and a tidy spell with the ball aided the Windies on their opening-day win and Powell was all praise for his player.
“Starting from the bowling effort, he bowled very well. And then towards the end, to hold his composure in a pressure game in WC, it’s pleasing for us,” Powell continued.
However, Powell added that his side did not play up to their maximum potential, something he looks forward to exploring as the tournament progresses.
“Weren’t up to the straps to the level we want to play. We were at 60-70 percent. Hopefully we can correct that for the second game,” he concluded.
The Windies take on Uganda in their next assignment on the 9th of the month, before battling it out against New Zealand on the 13th. The Powell-led unit will close out their group stage engagements against the promising Afghanistan on the 18th of June.
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