Fiery Roach topples Netherlands with hat-trick

NEW DELHI - Fast bowler Kemar Roach took a stunning hat-trick and finished with a six-wicket haul as the West Indies crushed the Netherlands by 215 runs in a World Cup Group B contest at the Ferozeshah Kotla stadium here Monday.

Roach (6-27) worked up furious pace, taking the last three wickets that wrapped up the Dutch innings for 115 in 31.3 overs. The right-arm pacer trapped Piter Seelaar and Bernard Loots leg before and then crashed through Berend Westdijks middle stump.

Roach thus became the sixth bowler to take a hat-trick in a World Cup. It was also the first hat-trick of the ongoing edition and the eighth best overall bowling figures in a World Cup.

The Dutch, a team of semi-professionals and playing in their fourth World Cup, were never in the hunt as the West Indies made merry against a blunt attack, piling up 330/8.

Chris Gayle (80, 110 balls, 7×4, 2×6) and Devon Smith (53, 51b, 9×4) stitched a century opening stand to give a solid start. Ramnaresh Sarwan (49) anchored the innings in the middle overs and Kieron Pollard (60 off 27 balls) provided the late flourish.

Chasing the big total, The Netherlands looked nowhere close to the side that gave England a mighty scare at Nagpur by scoring an impressive 292 and stretching the match to the last over.

The Netherlands’ chase never took off and they lost four wickets inside 10 overs, including that of star player Ryan ten Doeschate, who stroked a splendid 119 against England. Doeschate was trapped leg before by left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn.

Tom Cooper stood tall amid the ruins with an unbeaten 55 off 72 balls with the help of nine fours. He and Mudassar Bukhari provided some resistance, adding 57 runs for the seventh wicket but could not delay the imminent. Roach shattered Bukharis wicket before returning to claim his hat-trick.

Earlier, the West Indies were sent in to bat and the top order fired with Gayle leading the pack.

On this wicket, the West Indies batting had crumbled after the 40th over against South Africa Thursday. But they came prepared to make amends.

As the runs came unfettered, the Dutch fielding also took a beating, marked by dropped catches and sloppy dives.

Gayle, who was expected to come good after his meek dismissal against South Africa, took time to settle down and his first five runs consumed 22 balls. He eventually cut lose. Yet, it was not a typical Gayle innings as the former captain chose to bide his time in the middle, curbing his aggressive instincts.

It was only in the 23rd over that one got to see a shade of his usual self when he tonked Cooper for two massive sixes over mid-off.

In contrast, Smith played a breezy innings with nine fours before he was caught behind while attempting to cut a low delivery off Bernard Loots.

Darren Bravo, the star of West Indies’ previous match, looked in ominous touch as he stroked two sixes, but was caught at long-on by Alexie Kervezee while trying to loft Pieter Seelaar (3-45).

Sarwan, who is returning to the side after a year battling form and injury, played a responsible knock, though he was lucky to survive when he was dropped by Bukhari on 13.

Pollard, who was promoted up the order in the absence of injured Dwayne Bravo, played a pulsating knock that included five fours and four towering sixes. The tall and sturdy all-rounder punished the Orange shirts with his power hitting as the sparse crowd roared with delight. He was the harshest on Bukhari in the 39th over when he thwacked him for three fours and a massive six that went into the stands.