–Hossein grabs career-best 5-11

THE largest crowd of the Guyana leg left the Providence Stadium with smiles as wide as the Essequibo River as West Indies beat Uganda by 134 runs on Saturday night.
With heavy overnight and mid-morning rain, there was worry for the home fans that a game the West Indies should win and increase the Net Run Rate could be washed out.

However, the sun came out in all its glory after lunch, the evening sky was clear, and the last group-stage game at Providence commenced on time.
West Indies led by 44 off 42 with four fours and two sixes from Johnson Charles, and an unbeaten 17-ball 30 decorated with six fours from Andre Russell, reached 173-5.

Nicholas Pooran (22), Rovman Powell (23) and Sherfane Rutherford (22) also contributed to the total.
Brian Masaba captured 2-31 for Uganda, who were never in the fight, and were manhandled by the two-time ICC T20 champions.
Left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein bagged 5-11, the best bowling in a T20 World Cup, while Pacer Alzarri Joseph supported with 2-6.

West Indies increased their NRR to 3.37, only behind Afghanistan, whose NRR is 5.25. Both teams have 4 points from two wins.
The hosts elected to bat on a pitch which was not the easiest to bat on, but a fast outfield helped their game.
They got off the mark with four fortuitous byes, when left-arm spinner Alpesh Ramjani deceived Charles and the wicket keeper in the first over.

The 22-year-old Pacer Cosmas Juma Kyewuta bowled five dot balls before Charles smashed the sixth delivery for four, past cover, to free the shackles, after which Brandon King slapped Juma Miyagi for four more.
Charles dragged Miyagi’s free hit to the mid-wicket boundary before hammering him for four through cover in an over that cost 15 runs, much to the delight of the home fans in the stands, who created a wonderful atmosphere.

Charles hit Kyewuta for six, while King sweetly stroked Ramjani for four before the left-arm spinner bowled him for 13, to the joy of the large group of travelling Ugandans, who danced in the stand in yellow team shirts.
Pooran, who struggled on the slow track against PNG, got going with a huge six off Ramjani, while another slug-swept six from Pooran, off Miyagi, brought up the 50.

After the six-over power-play, West Indies were 54-1.
Charles and Pooran (22) took the score to 76 in the 10th over, before Pooran top-edged a sweep shot to Masaba, and was caught and bowled, and at the end of 10 overs, the score 85-2.

Just after the 100 was posted, Charles, who never really showed fluency but was effective, was removed by Dinesh Nakrani at 105-3.
Twenty runs later, Powell, who hit a four and six in his 22, fell to Masaba at 125-4 in 15.3 overs, and Uganda, in only their third match against a full nation team, were putting up a decent fight.

When Kyewuta produced a wonderful in-swinging yorker to the left-handed Rutherford (22), shattering his woodwork, this left the West Indies on 140-5 in 17.3 overs.
Russell and Romario Shepherd (5) added 33 in the last 15 balls, with Russell hitting Kyewuta for three fours in the last over, which cost 15 runs.

When Uganda began their reply, they were decimated for 39; tying with the Netherlands (2014) for the lowest-ever total in a T20 World Cup.
Only Juma Miyagi, with 13, got into double figures.

West Indies leave today for Trinidad, where they oppose New Zealand on Wednesday.
West Indies will then face-off with group leaders, Afghanistan, in their last group match in St. Lucia.