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Robson Sharuko Senior Sports Editor
WHEN Zimbabwe walked off the pitch at the innings interval at Harare Sports Club yesterday, having posted a fine 289 built around a superb century by Brendan Taylor, the Chevrons appeared to have put one foot in the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup in England and Wales.

But, a superb response from the West Indies, who seem to have perfected the art of bringing their best game whenever they play the Chevrons, delayed the party for another day.

And a big and colourful home crowd went home without celebrating the World Cup ticket they had been hoping for. Marlon Samuels 86, Shai Hope 76 and Evin Lewis 64 all came to the party as the top order resisted on a good pitch.

What this means is that the two teams, which produced a run feast yesterday in a game that was full value for both entertainment and drama, will now go into the final group matches of their campaign knowing victories will be enough to take them to the World Cup next year.

The Windies need to beat Scotland in their final match tomorrow and the glory, a ticket to the World Cup which they feel belongs to them by right, will be theirs while Zimbabwe can also join them should they hold their nerve on Thursday and prevail over a United Arab Emirates side stuck at the bottom of the table.

There are a lot of other scenarios in these high-stakes battles which have been a credit to the game and have produced plenty of drama.

Scotland can also grab a ticket to the World Cup should they beat the Windies tomorrow, with Zimbabwe joining them, should they prevail against the UAE the following day.

If Afghanistan defeat the UAE today, Scotland beat the Windies tomorrow and the UAE upset Zimbabwe on Thursday, then the Windies and either Afghanistan or Ireland will finish on equal points and net run-rate will decide which side which joins the Scots for the World Cup.

If the Windies finish on eight points, with a win over Scotland tomorrow, Afghanistan defeat the UAE and the UAE, against all odds, somehow find a way of beating Zimbabwe, then the Ireland versus Afghanistan match on Friday will be a shoo-out for the second qualifier behind the men from the Caribbean.

Sounds a bit complicated, of course it does, and so let’s just settle for the straight forward scenario that either the Windies or the Scots will tomorrow get one of the World Cup tickets and the Chevrons will then grab the other should they win over UAE.

Given that cricket is a game that can be heavily influenced by the weather conditions, the host fans will be aware of the scenario of rain destroying their hopes on Thursday but the forecast, for the whole of this week, doesn’t give us that grim possibility.

Zimbabwe were bowled out for 289 yesterday, exactly the same score they put on the board the last time they faced the Windies in a World Cup match at the Manuka Oval in Canberra, Australia, in 2015.

On that day Chris Gayle powered his way to 215, the highest individual score in a World Cup match, as the Windies posted 372/2 while Samuels contributed 133 from 156 balls, including 11 fours and three sixes in a partnership that sucked life out of the Zimbabweans.

But, then, just like yesterday, the Windies always enjoy a slice of luck from the umpires just when they need it the most.

In Canberra, Gayle should have departed lbw to the first ball he faced, after Tinashe Panyangara trapped him plumb, but the giant Windies bowler was given the benefit of doubt by the umpire and he went on to hit 16 sixes and six fours in his innings of 215.

Yesterday, at Harare Sports Club, a key partnership between Taylor and Sikanda Raza was broken in controversial fashion when the later was dismissed for 22 with the umpires somehow giving Windies skipper Jason Holder the benefit of doubt when he had bowled a no ball.

Taylor’s century yesterday, his first against the Windies, was a fine display of run-scoring by an experienced batsman who has been on a mission to take his country to the World Cup.

However, when he departed Zimbabwe didn’t appear to take advantage of their solid position and the Windies, in their reply, found a way to sneak past them with six balls to spare.

Solomon Mire returned from a nasty blow to the face to try and make the most of the final overs and after dumping a six, his defences were beaten by Holder who took four wickets as the Windies bowlers did well in the final 10 overs.

Holder was also among the wickets the last time the two teams had met at the World Cup with 3/46 in Canberra as Zimbabwe were bowled out for 289 in 44.3 overs.

Windies bowler Keemo Paul was given a tough time by the fans at Harare Sports Club yesterday who have not forgiven him for the controversial Mankad dismissal of Richard Ngarava at the ICC Under-19 World Cup in February two years ago.

With Zimbabwe needing three runs to win, with just one wicket remaining in the final over of a game in which the winner-took-it-all in Chittagong, Bangladesh, Paul didn’t go into his delivery stride and removed the bails with the ball while appealing for a run out at the non-striker’s end.

The umpires ruled Ngarava had been run out but amid a global storm of condemnation for the Windies who not only made it to the quarter-finals but even went on to win the tournament.

Scores in brief

Windies beat Zimbabwe by four wickets, Harare Sports Club

Zimbabwe 289 all out, 50 overs (Brendan Taylor 138, Solomon Mire 45, Sean Williams 34, Sikandar Raza 22; Jason Holder 4-35, Kemar Roach 3-55, Keemo Paul 2-55)

Windies 290-6, 49 overs (Marlon Samuels 86, Shai Hope 76, Evin Lewis 64; Blessing Muzarabani 2-36, Graeme Cremer 2-63)

Man-of-the-match – Marlon Samuels (Windies)

Upcoming matches:

Today – UAE v Afghanistan (S6), Old Hararians

Tomorrow – Windies v Scotland (S6), Harare Sports Club

Thursday – UAE v Zimbabwe (S6), Harare Sports Club

Friday – Ireland v Afghanistan (S6), Harare Sports Club)

Sunday – Final; Harare Sports Club