They needed a massive win in order to cement their place in the final against Australia, and they ended up doing just that last evening. West Indies and the term unpredictable often go hand in hand for reasons evident to one and all. The game last evening was an ideal one for Jason Holder and his men, as the Proteas were demolished in Barbados and as a result, their run in the tri series coming to an end.
West Indies began terribly losing 4 wickets in no time before the mighty talented Darren Bravo stepped in with a remarkable ton to rescue the hosts. Bravo was ably assisted by fellow Trinidadian Kieron Pollard who struck form with a timely half century. From the bowling point of view, pacer Shanon Gabriel decimated the Proteas with his pace and completed the misery.
Post his side’s win, skipper Jason Holder said that such a result would benefit the future of the sport in the Caribbean. “Extremely happy, it was an important game, not just for the series, but for the future of West Indies cricket. Bravo played extremely well, he was well supported by Pollard. We were nervous at 21/4, but we knew that the runs would come if we spent time in the middle,” said Holder.
Praising his unit, Holder added, “It was an outstanding innings from Bravo, after his dismissal, it was important that me and Brathwaite continued to keep up the pace. Shannon (Gabriel) was outstanding, he’s an impact bowler, has pace and we needed him to take wickets. We need to do the process well in the final against Australia.”
Darren Bravo was named the Man of the Match for his efforts and he was ecstatic. “I was getting starts, but didn’t convert them. I had a good net session yesterday that gave me plenty of confidence. I went in with a positive mindset. We spoke a lot during our stand. Rabada is one of the fastest bowler I have ever played against, I think he will be one of the best in the future, good luck to him. We need all the support from the crowd on Sunday, we are playing the best team in the world, we have a game plan and we need the crowd to be behind us,” said the younger Bravo.