T20 World Cup results: Shay Hope shines as West Indies dominate USA

T20 World Cup, Super 8, Barbados

USA 128 all out (19.5 overs): Goose 29 (16); Chase 3-19

West Indies 130-1 (10.5 overs): Hope 82* (39); Shin 1-18

West Indies win by 9 wickets

Shay Hope scored a very stylish 82 for no runs as the West Indies defeated co-hosts USA by nine wickets to rekindle their hopes of reaching the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup.

The Windies were under pressure after losing to England in the opening match of the Super 8s but responded with a resounding win in Barbados.

Rovman Powell’s team bowled out the Americans for 128 runs after just 10.5 overs.

Hope, who was recalled to the team following an injury to Brandon King, was in excellent form from the start, smashing eight sixes off 39 balls, three of which were consecutive sixes off Milind Kumar.

Roston Chase and Andre Russell did the damage with the ball for the West Indies, taking three wickets each.

The USA will be left regretting the dismissals of key batsmen Andries Guth and Aaron Jones as they fell from 51-1 to 65-4 in the third over just after the powerplay.

The margin of victory was such that the Windies outperformed England on net run rate.

The West Indies have a better net run rate than Group 2 leaders South Africa, who they face in the final round of the Super 8s on Sunday night (1.30am BST on Monday).

This could be a crucial match because if the Windies win it and England beat the United States on Sunday (15:30 BST), the top three teams will be level on four points.

In that case, the net run rate will decide which two teams will advance to the last four.

The United States can still advance to the semifinals, but they will need to beat England in a dominant fashion and South Africa will need to beat the West Indies.

Hope has been forced to watch from the sidelines for much of this World Cup.

An injury to King gave him his chance but after the way he batted at Kensington Oval on Friday night it’s hard to understand why he wasn’t in the West Indies squad from the get-go.

The 30-year-old Bajan is known more as a touch hitter than a power hitter but he managed to combine the two to produce perhaps the most elegant breakdown of a bowling attack the country has ever seen.

He first pulled Nostash Kensige over midwicket onto the roof of the stadium and then finally inside-out over long-off for another six.

In between, Hope displayed perfect timing and effortless power, hitting both sides of the wicket with equal efficiency, cracking eight sixes equally on the off-side and leg-side.

Hope, who produced perhaps one of the most impressive batting performances of the tournament for his home crowd, will be in the running for the crucial showdown against the Proteas in Antigua.

After the long wait, he has put the Windies in a good enough position to go through with any victory and given himself a chance to make a major impact in a crucial part of this tournament.