Defending champions West Indies head into the semi-finals against Sri Lanka having steamrolled the opponents in three of their four group encounters.
Lost to India by 7 wickets: The title defence for the champions did not begin on an impressive note. They went down to India rather tamely in their opening encounter. Asked to bat first, West Indies only managed 129 for 7 in their 20 overs. Chris Gayle top scored with 34, but he struggled his way to the score, facing 33 deliveries for the same before getting run out. Lendl Simmons compiled a quick 27 from 22, but in the end West Indies fell way short of a decent target. India lost three wickets in the chase, but got home comfortably. Samuel Badree, Marlon Samuels and Andre Russell claimed a wicket each for the West Indies, but their overall performance was way below par.
Beat Bangladesh by 73 runs: The hosts have troubled West Indies in the past, but this time Windies were pretty much unstoppable against Bangladesh. West Indies batted first and put up an imposing 171 for 7 on the board. Opener Dwayne Smith cracked 72 from 43 balls with 10 fours and 3 sixes while Gayle played the supporting role with a run- a-ball 48. In reply, the West Indian bowlers did not give Bangladesh even a sniff at a shock upset. Samuel Badree spun a web around the Bangladeshi batsmen and claimed 4 for 15 while left-arm seamer Krishmar Santokie also bowled a wonderful spell to finish with 3 for 15. Andre Russell chipped in with a couple of wickets as well while Sunil Narine ended with 1 for 17. Bangladesh were cleaned up for 98 with Mushfiqur Rahim top scoring with 22 from as many balls.
Beat Australia by 6 wickets: This was in many ways an affirmation of how strong a side West Indies are in this format. Australia batted first in the match, and put up an imposing 178 for 8 on the board. Glenn Maxwell top scored with 45 from 22 while Brad Hodge contributed 35 from 26. Sunil Narine was the pick of the bowlers with 1 for 19, and while Badree and Samuels also picked up two wickets each in the match, their economy rate was 9 and 10 respectively. West Indies chased down the target thanks to three fantastic performances. Gayle smashed 53 from 35 at the top, Dwayne Bravo blasted an unbeaten 27 from 12 balls while skipper Sammy finished off things with 34 from 16 balls, including three big sixes.
Beat Pakistan by 84 runs: Batting first in the game, West Indies, at one stage, were struggling at 81 for 5 in 14th over. However, Dwayne Bravo and captain Sammy once again turned the tide around. Bravo blasted 46 from 26 balls while Sammy was unbeaten on 42 from 20 balls as West Indies finished with 166 for 6 as the reliable Pakistan duo of Umar Gul and Saeed Ajmal was taken to the cleaners. West Indies carried the momentum into the bowling, and never allowed Pakistan in with a chance. After Santokie struck first ball, Badree added to Pakistan’s woes with 3 for 10. By the sixth over, they were 13 for 4 and it was game over for Pakistan.
--By A Cricket Analyst
