In the dead rubber clash against Afghanistan at Daren Sammy International Cricket Ground, St Lucia, co-hosts West Indies made two changes to their winning combination. Obed McCoy and Shai Hope replaced Romario Shepherd and Roston Chase respectively. Skipper Rovman Powell revealed at the coin toss that one of the two changes is a forced one as Shepherd left the squad to be with his family.
“It is more to gain than to lose, it's a good opportunity for us to play good cricket. It's not a matter of stressing it, it's a matter of gaining confidence from this game. We have two changes - Romario Shepherd is out and Obed McCoy is in and Roston Chase is out and Shai Hope comes in. Romario is with his family for the birth of his second child,” Powell said after losing the toss.
After beating Afghanistan by 104 runs in the last group stage game, West Indies will take on defending champions England on June 19 (June 20 morning as per IST) at the same venue. It is unclear whether Shepherd will be able to rejoin the squad for the crucial clash.
McCoy’s economical three-fer
In Shepherd’s absence, McCoy made the most of the opportunity. McCoy was introduced into the attack in the eighth over. Opener Ibrahim Zadran played the flick shot and was caught by Johnson Charles at deep square leg. On the last ball of his first over, Najibullah Zadran slashed his bat and caught by Charles for a two-ball duck. In his second over, McCoy bowled a length ball at stumps to knock over Mohammad Nabi. He was economical as well conceding 14 runs from three overs.
How Shepherd has performed in the tournament so far
He bagged one wicket and conceded 23 runs against Papua New Guinea in West Indies' opening encounter. In the second game against Uganda, he remained not out for five runs and bagged a wicket for nine runs in his two overs. In West Indies' clash against New Zealand, he contributed with a run-a-ball 13. He was expensive with the ball conceding 36 runs from three overs without a wicket to his name.
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