Kolkata: Skipper Shai Hope continued his great form with a knock of 75 runs, powering West Indies to 165/6 against a well-planned Italy bowling attack in the final Group C match of the T20 World Cup 2026 played at Eden Gardens on Thursday.
Coming in to bat after losing the toss, the two-time champions, West Indies, were dealt an early blow as opener Brendon King, who has been struggling for runs in the tournament, was dismissed on just the seventh ball of the innings. King scored just 4 runs off six balls.
His opening partner Hope did not let Italy build on the momentum after the early blow, as he smashed four boundaries and a six in the next two overs. Shimron Hetmyer could not follow suit, as he was dismissed cheaply for one, as the West Indies were 48/2 at the end of the powerplay.
After two early blows, the Windies captain forged a 64-run partnership with Roston Chase (24), which helped the team reach near the three-figure mark by the 12th over. Hope played the dominant role in the partnership by attacking the spinners, while Chase rotated the strike well.
Italy finally got the breakthrough in the 13th over when Chase was sent packing by Thomas Draca. Meanwhile, Hope completed his fifty off just 28 balls and continued his brilliance at the crease despite losing Chase.
As the West Indies were moving towards a big total, Italy made a strong comeback with back-to-back wickets in the span of just three balls. Rowman Powell was trapped by Ben Manenti in the 15th over, while skipper Hope was clean bowled by Crishan Kalugamage in the next over. Hope hammered four sixes and six boundaries during his magnificent knock.
All-rounder Jason Holder could not continue his momentum against Italy, as he was dismissed for just nine runs off seven balls. Sherfane Rutherford scored 24 off 15, while Matthew Forde made 16 off 8, as the duo provided a good finish with a 28-run partnership that came off just 14 balls.
Manenti and Kalugamage were the most successful bowlers for Italy, claiming two wickets each, while Ali Hasan and Draca got one each.
Brief Scores: West Indies 165/6 in 20 overs (Shai Hope 75, Roston Chase 24, Sherfane Rutherford 24*; Crishan Kalugamage 2-24, Ben Manenti 2-37) against Italy.
(IANS)
