West Indies were reeling at 220 for 5 at the end of the 40th over in their chase of 326 against England in the first ODI and it looked like the visitors, led by Jos Buttler, were chipping away with the contest at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua. Having lost Shimron Hetmyer and Sherfane Rutherford in quick succession, the West Indies faced an uphill task as they needed 106 in the last 10 overs.
However, captain Shai Hope and Mumbai Indians’ new recruit Romario Shepherd were on fire in the end overs as West Indies chased down the target with 7 deliveries to spare.
106 is the second-highest tally of runs chased in the last 10 overs of an ODI team after Pakistan’s 109 against Bangladesh in Mirpur in 2014. Breaking a 9-year-old record, West Indies pulled off a sensational win, bringing delight to the crowd at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium.
At the center of it all was the captain, Shai Hope, as he hit 109 not out in just 83 balls, smashing 7 sixes and 4 boundaries. Giving him great company during an 89-run stand for the 6th wicket was Romario Shepherd, who hit 3 sixes and 4 boundaries for his 29-ball 48.
West Indies needed 19 runs in the last 2 overs and Shai Hope took matters in his own hands as he hit Sam Curran for 3 sixes in the penultimate over to take the team past the finish line.
Recalling a piece of advice from former India captain MS Dhoni, Shai Hope said he understood that there is always more time than one things, especially in the longer format of the white-ball game.
“I had a chat with MS Dhoni some time back and he told me that you always have a lot more time at the crease than you think and that stuck with me,” Shai Hope said after West Indies’s 4-wicket win.
“The century was in a winning cause and that’s all I play for. Happy that we won,” he added.
