West Indies prepare for England with impressive win

T20 World Cup, St Lucia

West Indies 218-5 (20 overs): Pooran 98 (53), Charles 43 (27); Gulbadin 2-14

Afghanistan 114 (16.2 overs): Ibrahim 38 (28); McCoy 3-14

West Indies won by 104 runs

Scorecard. Tables

Nicholas Pooran deed a stunning 98 arsenic West Indies prepared for a Super 8s lucifer against England astatine nan T20 World Cup pinch a 104-run triumph complete Afghanistan.

With some sides already done to nan adjacent stage, co-hosts West Indies dispatched a much-fancied Afghanistan broadside pinch a connection triumph successful St Lucia.

Pooran's 8 sixes helped nan co-hosts rack up 218-5 - nan highest people of nan tourney truthful far.

They were 85-1 aft 5 overs pinch 36 runs coming from nan fourth, including 3 Pooran sixes, a no-ball and 5 wides - equalling nan grounds for nan astir costly complete successful men's T20s.

Having taken down Afghan superstar Rashid Khan, left-hander Pooran was tally retired successful nan last complete desperately trying to support nan onslaught successful hunt of 3 figures.

But West Indies power continued into Afghanistan's pursuit erstwhile Akeal Hosein had Rahmanullah Gurbaz caught for a three-ball duck successful a wicket maiden to start.

From location nan hosts recovered breakthroughs regularly and Afghanistan were bowled retired for 114 successful 16.2 overs.

Obed McCoy took 3 wickets and spinners Akeal and Gudakesh Motie 2 apiece.

The triumph concludes nan first group shape of this compelling World Cup, which now moves connected to its 2nd shape pinch 8 teams battling crossed 2 groups to unafraid a semi-final place.

West Indies and England meet connected Wednesday (Thursday 01:30 BST) astatine this ground.

England, beware. This was West Indies showing why they are fancied by galore arsenic winners of this tournament.

Roared connected by a raucous location crowd, they group a caller grounds for nan highest powerplay people astatine a T20 World Cup and continued connected to their highest full successful nan history of nan tournament.

West Indies' early boundaries were streaky – nary much truthful than Pooran's first boundary, which flew complete nan statement astatine 3rd man disconnected nan starring edge.

Fazalhaq Farooqi, nan tournament's starring wicket-taker, was thrashed for 28 successful his first 2 overs but that was economical successful comparison to nan pummelling taking by Azmatullah Omarzai successful nan 4th over.

After Pooran's edgy six, he followed pinch a no-ball that was pulled for 4 by Pooran earlier nan consequent free deed flew for wides complete nan wicketkeeper's head. Still nan symptom was not done - 4 leg-byes and 2 sixes followed.

Afghanistan managed to resistance nan scoring backmost thereafter arsenic Pooran put connected 80 pinch Johnson Charles, who made 43, and 64 pinch Rovman Powell.

The left-hander went backmost up nan gears to finish, however, by taking 24 runs from nan 18th complete bowled by Rashid, including 3 leg-side sixes. There were 3 balls to spell erstwhile he was scampering backmost for 2 to springiness himself a chance of a first T20 100 for West Indies but was tally retired from a nonstop deed from nan heavy contempt a dive.

West Indies' all-round effort pinch nan shot was arsenic impressively arsenic Pooran's item reel of prestigious hitting.

They person effective spinners, gait and acquisition and besides caught everything successful nan field. They spell into nan crippled against England having won 8 T20s successful a row.

West Indies batter Nicholas Pooran: "I assessed nan conditions early. It was really important for america to not suffer wickets successful nan middle. I felt coming was my time and I had to return nan responsibility.

"We person been really accordant arsenic a team. The measurement we person played is wonderful."

Afghanistan skipper Rashid Khan: "The measurement they started pinch nan bat, it was beautiful difficult to travel backmost from that. To restrict them to 220 was a bully effort.

"It is bully it happened successful this portion of nan tournament. We will study from it."