Shai Hope in a nail-biting finish helped West Indies prevail over England in the first One-Day International, thanks to his record-setting knock at Antigua.
The 30-year-old struck three sixes in four balls off Sam Curran in the penultimate over of the chase to give West Indies a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
In the process, he also recorded his 16th ODI and fastest century of his career.
Shai Hope credits MS Dhoni for batting wisdom
Awarded the ‘Man of the Match’ award for his unbeaten 83-ball 109, Hope recalled a chat with former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, where the latter shared about the former’s play style.
West Indies captain Shai Hope credited former India captain MS Dhoni after his brilliant, match-winning hundred in the first ODI against England at the Sri Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua yesterday (December 3).
After the game, Hope revealed how a conversation with the India legend MS Dhoni had played a part in his approach to the ODI game.
“A very, very famous person, MS Dhoni, we had a chat a while ago, and he was saying, ‘You always have a lot more time than you think,’” Hope said during the post-match presentation ceremony. “That’s one thing that has stuck with me throughout the years I’ve been playing ODI cricket.”
Chasing a big total of 326 in the first of the three ODIs, West Indies started strong with Alick Athanaze and Brandon King registering a century opening partnership. Hope arrived at the crease with the score reading 106-2 and anchored the chase to perfection, remaining unbeaten on 109 off 83 balls to see West Indies home.
This was Hope’s 16th ODI hundred as he crossed the 5,000-run mark during this knock.
Having assumed captaincy of the West Indies ODI team earlier this year, he has shifted down to No.4 to better suit his team’s requirements and has adapted his game according to the position.
Hope’s ODI career strike rate stands at 77.58, a far cry from the run-a-ball strike rates that are usually the norm these days, but this year, he has struck at 96.2 – his highest strike rate in ODIs in any calendar year.
Hope’s evolution as an ODI batter was perfectly characterised by his century against England yesterday (December 3), where he took just 82 balls to reach his hundred, his quickest in the format.
He also credited Romario Shepherd, who made a crucial contribution of 48 off just 28 balls batting at No.7. “He was amazing,” Hope said. “He’s one of those guys you can depend on and he’s continued to show his worth at this level. We’re starting the series on a high and the aim is to repeat this in the second game.”
West Indies faced the uphill task of scoring 106 in the last 10 overs. But along side Romario Shephard (48; 28b), Hope smashed an unbeaten 109 off 83 balls, that included four hits to the fence and seven maximums, to take eke out a memorable win here on Sunday.
Hope became Windies’ ‘Man of Crisis’, and slammed his 16th ODI, which was also his quickest-ever while helping his side chase down 326 in the penultimate over
The 30-year-old also lauded his teammates for putting in the hard yards and showcasing terrific responses across departments.
Both teams will now clash in the second ODI on December 6 at the same venue.