Game One West Indies 149/9 all out v 136/9 New Zealand - West Indies WIN
Being four wickets down in the power play is not the foundation West Indies would have wanted in a match which could see them guarantee progression to the Super Eight. But it's what they got.
Shane Rutherford came to the crease with four wickets down, and only twenty-two runs on the board. From their he dropped anchor and set about shoring up the innings. Not that he wasted time or balls. A strike rate of 175% saw him score 68 from the 39 balls faced, though 44 of those came from the eight boundaries he struck. While wickets continued to fall at the other end, he was resolute.
Still, with only 150 to find, the Silver Ferns had an excellent opportunity to get their campaing back on track. A steady powere play saw them about level on score, but two wickets to the good. Wickets trickled away, one every two overs.
When the West Indies bowlers stopped taking regular wickets, they bottled up the runs. In a five wicketless over period from the 10th to 15th New Zealand could only score 22 runs. The pressure to get scoring seemed to have been released with 23 runs from two and a half overs, but to wits in the 17th over and another in the 18th put the lid firmly back on and the run chase fizzled out.
Now, if Afghanistan defeat Papua New Guinea in the next game of the group, New Zealand will be headed home before the Super Eights. The West Indies, on the other hand, know they'll have a final Super Eight game against South Africa.
Game Two Bangladesh 159/5 v 134/8 Netherlands - Bangladesh WIN
At the start of the tournament I had this pegged as a close game - one of the strongest Associate nations against one of the weakest Test nations - and for three-quarters of the match it looked close.
While they only lost five wickets Bangladesh were unable to push their total to the 170 or 180 which would have felt comfortably defendable. A solid 35 by opener Hasan and fine 64 from 46 balls by Shakib recovered the innings after Dutt took Shanto and Das were out for a single run each.
160 felt achievable if Netherlands batted sensibly. And they did. By the tenth over they were only three wickets down and needing 90 to win. They got above the required run rate over the next couple of overs and were looking comfortable.
Then two wickets fell in the fourteenth over with the score on 111. Six runs in the fifteenth over suggested Netherlands were back on track, but the next wicket fell at the start of the sixteenth over and, when the seventh wicket was taken six balls later at the start of the seventeenth, no more runs had been added.
Bangladesh had dropped an anchor on the Netherlands, and they were unable to work free. In the last 24 balls only 17 runs were added.
The result doesn't quite settle either teams fate but Bangladesh will have high hopes of defeating Nepal in their final game, while Sri Lanka will be looking for some form of redemption against Netherlands in theirs.
Game Three Oman 47 all out v 50/2 England - England WIN
Adil Rashid took 4 wickets for 11 runs. Mark Wood and Joffra Archer each took 3 wickets for 12 runs. Reece topley bowled 3 overs for 12 runs, and Oman were out in 13 overs and two balls.
Shoaib Khan top scored for Oman with 11 runs and England completed the first part of their 'Four Innings to Save The Tournament' campaign ins style.
Now all they needed to do was bat as comprehensively.
Phil Salt smashed the first two balls for 12 runs, then was skittled by a fine ball on the third attempt by Bilal Khan.
Will Jacks edged one to be caught for 5 and the panic set in.
Except no one told Wicketkeeper Captain Jos Buttler who smashed the third over for 22 runs with four 4's and a 6.
The first ball of over 4 was slapped away by Bairstow for his second 4, and the win.
With the quickest win of the world cup England gained the pointes expected, and moved their run rate above Scotland's. Part two of 'Four Innings to Save The Tournament' succesfully completed. Now on to Namibia.
| Game | 4's | 6's | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Indies v New Zealand | 15 | 18 | 33 |
| Bangladesh v Netherlands | 31 | 9 | 40 |
| Oman v England | 11 | 4 | 15 |
| Tournament | 470 | 239 | 709 |
Tomorrow there are two matches which could be decisive for their groups. If Afghanistan beat Papua New Guinea they will join West Indies in the Super Eights. It looks the likely outcome.
The second game is USA v Ireland. A win for USA, or an abandoned match puts USA into the Super Eights. With more heavy rain expected to fall in Broward County USA may find they have already played all the cricket they need to in this part of the competition.
Check back tomorrow for reviews & updated boundary totals.
text by stuartcturnbull. graphic by Mir Rammez Raja & edited by stuartcturnbull via postermywall