West Indies vs Afghanistan, 2nd ODI - Live Cricket Score, Commentary

Series: Afghanistan tour of West Indies, 2017 Venue: Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium, Gros Islet, St Lucia Date & Time: Jun 11, 02:30 PM LOCAL

Rashid picked up three wickets to keep Afghanistan in the hunt but Hope scored an unbeaten 48 to guide Windies to a four-wicket win. © AFP

Windies not only needed this win to level the series but needed this win to get some crucial ranking points as well. Of course, one match won't make a drastic difference but they need to keep racking in wins if they want direct qualification for the 2019 World Cup. For now, they've slipped a bit behind Pakistan, who are ranked No. 8 in the ODI rankings. So the action will now return on Wednesday for the decider before the home side take on India in a five-match series. That's it from us folks! Hope you enjoyed our coverage. Have a good day!

Shai Hope is the Man of the Match. We had to take everything in account and then I started to capitalize the powerplay. He (Rashid Khan) is a decent bowler and we needed to be careful against him. We have got used to the bowlers but we need to play at the merit of the ball.

Here's what the captains had to say after the game:

Jason Holder: Good to get over the line. Still a few areas we can improve on. We need to be selective in our strokeplay. We need to be more aggressive. We were able to get wickets which is always the key in ODIs. We got to find out better ways to play Rashid Khan. We just need to be a little more positive when playing the spinners.

Asghar Stanikzai: We were restricted to a low total. Had we got to 200, that would have been difficult to them. Windies bowlers bowleed well today. We will try our best next time. The final game is an important, we are looking forward to play positive cricket.

ALL OVER: Windies win by four wickets and level the three-match series 1-1. With a small chase ahead of them, Windies came out with positive intent and polished off 37 in the first six overs before the dinner break. With wickets being key, Stanikzai introduced Rashid Khan right after the break and it took the legspinner just five deliveries to dismiss Kieron Powell. He then dismissed the dangerous looking Evin Lewis (33) to give Afghanistan a sniff.

Windies then lost Jonathan Carter and Jason Mohammed soon after to be left in a tricky situation at 72 for 4. Roston Chase (9) and Shai Hope, however, collaborated for a 26-run stand to guide the team forward before Rashid had the former stumped to leave the hosts five down.

With 36 more needed, Windies needed the calm of Hope to guide the innings through. He played out Rashid's final over and then ensured there were no more hiccups as he guided the team home.

HANGING IN THERE: Afghanistan are just about staying afloat in this contest and a big reason for that is Rashid. This time he has Chase stumped as Windies slip to 98 for 5.

at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground. Lots of talented youngste…

; lovely Sunday at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground as we prepare for the 2nd ODI. Another good pi…

Pakistan now looking good for World Cup qualification

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Hello and welcome the live blog of the second One-Day International Windies and Afghanistan in St Lucia. Crucial game here - a win for Afghanistan gives them a memorable series win over a Test playing nation. Windies on the other hand need a win to keep the series alive. And if the first ODI is anything to go by, it's going to be really tough for them.

Riding on Rashid's impressive spell and Javed Ahmadi's 81, Afghanistan thumped Windies by 63 runs. The Afghanistan camp would be pleased to get back to winning ways after losing the T20I series 3-0. One of the areas of concern for the visitors in that T20I series was their inability to handle pace bowlers, with Kesrick Williams picking up eight scalps. However, on a slow deck in St. Lucia, they were able to wade through the spells of Shannon Gabriel and Miguel Cummins and unfurled a volley of shots while facing Jason Holder.

With Mohammad Shahzad provisionally suspended for violating ICC's anti-doping rule, Afghanistan needed someone to stamp his authority at the top of the order. The experienced Ahmadi, who hadn't played a single ODI since July 2016, immediately made an impact with a resolute fifty. Afghanistan's fine show on the field also would have gladdened the hearts of the coaching staff.

On the other hand, the hosts continue to flounder in the 50-over format. The Windies couldn't translate their impressive show in the T20I series and hurtled to a defeat. The thinktank would be worried with the lack of positive intent up front, evidenced by just the 23 runs the home side scored in the first 10 overs of their innings.

The likes of Shai Hope, Jason Mohammed and Roston Chase also need to find a way to pick Rashid's googly. With the next two games scheduled to be played at the Darren Sammy Stadium as well, the track should assist the spinners.

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