Chris Gayle removed Afghanistan top-scorer Ikram Alikhil with his tame off-breaks as the West Indies secured just their second win of a chastening World Cup campaign on Thursday. The Caribbean side scored 311 for six in their 50 overs in Leeds and although the Afghans put up a brave fight, they ultimately went down by 23 runs.
Gayle, almost certainly playing in his final World Cup match at the age of 39, failed with the bat but struck with the ball, trapping Alikhil lbw for 86 in the 36th over to put a huge dent in Afghanistan’s slim hopes of victory. Despite the victory, two-time former champions West Indies remain second-bottom of the 10-team table and will slink home with just two wins from nine matches.
