BASSETERRE, St Kitts, Nov 15, CMC – Rehan Ahmed produced a spectacular performance to guide England Lions to a comprehensive 80-run victory over West Indies ‘A’ in the penultimate One Day International here on Saturday.
With his side precariously placed at 36 for three, Ahmed turned the tide of the match with a superb 108 off just 100 balls that helped the Lions recover to post a competitive 330 in 49.2 overs after they elected to bat first at Warner Park.
The 22-year-old leg spinner then returned to snare five wickets as West Indies ‘A’ were bowled out for 250 in 44.2 overs to give the visitors a commanding 4-0 lead in the five-match series.
Ahmed’s heroics were required after Jahkeem Pollard struck twice to remove Ben McKinney and captain Dan Lawrence and fellow pacer Oshane Thomas accounted for the wicket of Ben Mayes for 17 to leave the score 36 for three in the eighth over.
He joined forces with James Rew, who scored 51 from 74 balls, to forge a 137-run partnership for the fourth wicket, while scoring at over five runs an over to drag the Lions right back in the contest.
Pollard got the breakthrough for the Windies when he had Rew caught, but Ahmed subsequently brought up his century off 94 balls in sensational fashion by blasting the left-arm pacer for back-to-back sixes.
Despite the fightback, the home side would still have been happy with their position when left-arm spinner Karima Gore bowled Ahmed after he had struck 11 fours and five sixes, to leave the Lions 198 for five in the 36th over.
But Jack Haynes bludgeoned 57 from just 37 balls with eight fours and one six and together with Ben Kellaway, who made 31 off 18 balls, they added 64 runs in quick time to push England past the 250 mark.
Thomas returned to dismiss both batters, but England got useful knocks from their tailenders which helped to boost their eventual total.
Thomas finished with figures of 4-67, while Gore took 3-63 and Pollard 3-69.
The West Indies didn’t get off to the best of starts, with Mikyle Louis being run out for four with 23 runs on the board.
However, they formed several meaningful partnerships thereafter that kept them in the hunt for their first win of the series.
Kirk McKenzie and Keacy Carty carried the score to 60 before Ahmed bowled the former for 23.
Carty and Alick Athanaze then added 52 runs for the third wicket, but Ahmed also broke that stand by trapping Carty lbw for 51 off 49 balls, his third half century of the series.
From a relatively comfortable position of 151 for three in the 26th over, the West Indies lost their way, with England grabbing the remaining seven wickets for just 99 runs.
The collapse began when Kellaway had Athanaze lbw for 41 and with just one run added, Lawrence bowled Kevlon Anderson to reduce them to 152 for five.
Jyd Goolie, who made 51 off 64 balls, and Rivaldo Clarke, who scored 31 off 32 balls, tried their best to revive the innings during a 57-run partnership for the sixth wicket, but Ahmed returned to run through the lower order.
He claimed the wickets of Clarke, Pollard for six and Thomas for a first ball duck, to finish with figures of 5-60.
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