AFG vs WI | Kieron Pollard lauds Roston Chase and Shai Hope after win in 1st ODI

11/07/2019

Windies T20I captain Kieron Pollard has heaped praise on teammates Shai Hope and Roston Chase, whose efforts led to the team registering a comfortable win over Afghanistan. The Pollard-led side won by a seven-wicket margin in the first ODI of the three-match series held in Lucknow.

Opening the innings for the Windies, talented batsman Shai Hope remained unbeaten at the end of the 195-run chase, scoring 77* off 133 deliveries. The No.4 Roston Chase, on the other hand, scored a much quicker 115-ball 94 and hence put West Indies in a winning position before getting dismissed just seven runs away from the target. His 94 included 11 boundaries and was his highest individual score in the 50-over format. Together they formed a 163-run partnership for the third-wicket and led the team to a successful chase that would be achieved with 21 balls to spare. Captain Pollard highly lauded the effort of the two batsmen.

"Losing early wickets and not batting 50 overs is something that has been haunting us for a long time.”

"Two guys showed the way – Hope and Chase. Both of them are class batsmen, kudos to them for batting well and getting us a victory,” Pollard was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo.

He further praised the bowlers like the veteran Jason Holder and also Romario Shepherd (2-31) and Hayden Walsh (1-33).

"We've been talking about how we want to play cricket. Express ourselves, who better than Jason Holder, who continues to prove he wants to be the number one in this format. Then Shepherd and Hayden Walsh were superb. We want to play every game with the same intensity," the Windies captain added.

The second ODI is scheduled to be played at the same venue in Lucknow on Monday.