Cricket
Windies sweep to series win
2013-03-04 06:26
Antigua and Barbuda - A bludgeoning innings from Kieron Pollard and career-best figures from Samuel Badree spearheaded West Indies' 41-run win over Zimbabwe in the second and final T20 international on Sunday.
Responding to the hosts' total of 158/7, the visitors were restricted to 117/6 with only veteran Hamilton Masakadza offering any sort of resistance with an unbeaten 53 off 51 deliveries with six fours.
VIDEO: West Indies v Zimbabwe, second T20 highlights
However, the damage was already done with Badree making amends for his comparatively ordinary effort in the first match the previous day, dismissing the top three in the Zimbabwean order to finish with 3-17.
With their second consecutive comprehensive win - after Saturday's eight-wicket triumph - the world champions took the series 2-0 following a 3-0 whitewash of the Zimbabweans in the one-day matches in Grenada.
Both sides now turn their attention to the Test matches, the first of two beginning March 12 in Barbados.
Pollard crashed three sixes and three fours in an unbeaten 46 off just 24 deliveries to lift the West Indies to a competitive total, dominating a 56-run fifth-wicket partnership with Darren Sammy, the captain contributing 19.
"We've got good depth in our batting and Pollard played the right sort of innings for us today," said Sammy.
"Lendl Simmons (41) also set us up well at the top and that's the sort of contribution all the way down that we want to see."
All the Zimbabwe bowlers had shown greater discipline in limiting the home team's early progress.
Tendai Chatara accounted for Johnson Charles, who lost his middle stump in missing an ugly swipe.
The spinners then came to the fore with leggie Natsai M'Shangwe removing Dwayne Bravo and man of the series Simmons, who perished for 41.
Experienced off-spinner Prosper Utseya disposed of Christopher Barnwell, the returning all-rounder attempting one cut shot too many to be bowled for just seven.
It was the former captain's only wicket, but his four-over spell, which cost 22 runs, was the most economical.
"Today was our best opportunity to win a match on this tour," said a rueful Zimbabwe captain Brendan Taylor.
"But we don't seem to get all departments of our game right. Today the batting again let us down."