Narine, Pollard shine on return as West Indies cruise past South Africa

PROVIDENCE, GUYANA: Sunil Narine and Kieron Pollard made triumphant returns to the West Indies team in a comfortable victory over South Africa in the opening match

PROVIDENCE, GUYANA: Sunil Narine and Kieron Pollard made triumphant returns to the West Indies team in a comfortable victory over South Africa in the opening match in a triangular one-day international series on Friday.

HT Image

Off-spinner Sunil Narine took a career-best six for 27 as West Indies dismissed South Africa for 188 off 46.5 overs on a slow pitch at Providence Stadium in Georgetown, Guyana.

Pollard then did his job with the bat, using his power to hoist six sixes in a run-a-ball 67 not out as the Windies scored 191 for six to win by four wickets with 11 balls to spare.

The entertaining innings by the 29-year-old Trinidadian turned the match around after the West Indies had become bogged down and the run rate had slowed to a crawl.

All of his sixes came in an arc between long-on and straight hit. In the process he became just the fourth Caribbean player to hit 100 sixes in ODIs, joining Chris Gayle, Viv Richards and Brian Lara.

Pollard, who missed the World Twenty20 in March due to a knee injury, had not played an ODI international since October 2014.

It was also Narine’s first international outing since a suspect bowling action led to his banishment from the game last November.