MATCH REPORTAlick Athanaze hit the joint-fastest half-century on One-Day International (ODI) debut and off-spinner Kevin Sinclair marked his return with a four-wicket haul and a series of flamboyant somersaults as West Indies defeated the United Arab Emirates (UAE) by four wickets to complete a 3-0 sweep in Sharjah on Friday (June 9).
West Indies overhauled their target of 185 with four wickets and nearly 15 overs to spare. Both Athanaze, 24, and 23-year-old Sinclair are not part of West Indies' squad for the upcoming World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe.
On Friday, opener Athanaze got off to a flying start, racing to 30 off 11 balls. He then equalled Krunal Pandya's record for the joint-fastest fifty on ODI debut with a drilled four off Rohan Mustafa. Athanaze looked good for a century, but Aayan Khan cut his innings short on 65 off 45 balls.
In the absence of regular captain Shai Hope and vice-captain Brandon King, who were rested among a number of changes, West Indies went 81 balls without a boundary. Stand-in captain Roston Chase (27*) closed out the chase along with Keemo Paul.
The start had been promising for UAE after they opted to take the first strike. Vriitya Aravind (70) and captain Muhammad Waseem (42) forged a 69-run partnership for the second wicket off just 55 balls.
It was Raymon Reifer who snapped the stand when he went around the wicket and hit the top of Waseem's off stump in the 12th over. Aravind went on to bring up a 42-ball fifty, but Sinclair kept striking as UAE's innings spiralled out of control.
Sinclair celebrated with a series of acrobatic somersaults. From 142 for 3, UAE eventually folded for 184, leaving almost 14 overs unused in their innings.
Both West Indies and the UAE now head for Zimbabwe and the 10-nation World Cup qualifier which starts on June 18. Only two teams will go through to the tournament in India in October and November.
Brief scores:
UAE 184 in 36.1 overs (Vriitya Aravind 70, Muhammad Waseem 42; Kevin Sinclair 4 for 24) lost to West Indies 185 for 6 in 35.1 overs (Alick Athanaze 65, Roston Chase 27*; Muhammad Jawadullah 2 for 36) by 4 wickets
Player of the match: Kevin Sinclair
Player of the series: Brandon King
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