Double joy for Caribbean Cricketers
The West Indies will go for a double Sunday when both its men’s and women’s teams seek World Twenty20 championships in a doubleheader final of Twenty20 2016 Cricket World Cup in India. The women will play Australia before the men face England.
West Indies crushed the hopes of a billion Indians when they produced a magnificent run chase to stun the home side by seven wickets and clinch a place in Sunday’s final of the Twenty20 World Cup. The Carribean men chased down a total of 192 quite easily as Indian bowlers literally struggled to contain the fire-power.
The West Indies women defeated New Zealand by six wickets, while, the West Indies men defeated host team, India, by seven wickets.
West Indies Women won a high-scoring clash by six runs – their first semi-final victory – to set up a final date with Australia Women in Kolkata on Sunday. Like the men, New Zealand Women bowed out of the tournament after going through the group stages unscathed.
West Indies Sport Minister Olivia ‘Babsy’ Grange on Thursday extended congratulations to both the male and female West Indies cricket teams for winning their semi-final matches and advancing to the respective finals of the ICC Twenty20 2016 Cricket World Cup in Mumbai, India.
“Our ladies have made history in advancing to T20 finals for the very first time. We have seen their dedication throughout the tournament and we see now, how it has paid off for them. It is indeed a great day for women in sports within the region,” the minster said, adding that their performance was truly admirable and is a perfect example of the notion ‘hard work reaps success’.
In congratulating the male team, the minister said: “There was no doubt in my mind that the team would secure this much-needed win for the Caribbean. The fighting spirit displayed in the just-concluded semi-final match, I believe, is testament to how the team will perform in the upcoming finals. This match was well-played and this victory is well-deserved.”
The minster explained that today is indeed a great day for West Indies cricket.