Lendl Simmons’ blistering 44-ball 94 overshadowed Shane Watson’s scintillating century, guiding the West Indies Masters to a convincing seven-wicket win over the Australia Masters in the second match of the inaugural International Masters League (IML) at the DY Patil Sports Stadium on Monday.
The IML continued its trend of high-scoring encounters, thrilling the sizable crowd in attendance. Australia Masters’ opener Shane Watson delivered a nostalgic performance with his signature strokes, notching up a stunning 52-ball 107 after West Indies Masters’ captain Brian Lara opted to field first.
Watson Rolls Back the Years
The 43-year-old Watson looked in sublime form, treating the West Indies bowlers with disdain. He raced to his half-century in just 27 balls and reached his ton in another 21 deliveries. His innings, laced with nine fours and nine sixes, was pivotal in setting a formidable target for the Windies.
Watson was involved in key partnerships, adding 34 runs with Ben Dunk (15 off 11), forging an 83-run stand with Callum Ferguson (13 off 15), and a quick-fire 54-run partnership with Daniel Christian (32 off 15). Despite losing partners at regular intervals, Watson continued his onslaught, particularly targeting left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn, taking 21 runs off his 9th over.
Ashley Nurse, who earlier dropped Watson on 80, eventually dismissed him, but by then, the damage had been done. Nurse emerged as the pick of the West Indies bowlers, finishing with impressive figures of 3/16, while Jerome Taylor and Ravi Rampaul chipped in with two wickets apiece.
Simmons Leads the Charge
Chasing 217, the West Indies Masters got off to a steady yet aggressive start. Opening with Chris Gayle, who managed just 11 off 12 balls, Dwayne Smith took charge, hammering a 29-ball 51, which included 10 boundaries and a six. His efforts ensured the Windies remained ahead of the required run rate.
Once Smith departed, Lendl Simmons took control of the chase with a fearless display of power hitting. Supported by Brian Lara, who contributed a crucial 21-ball 33, Simmons put on a game-defining 99-run stand for the third wicket. With 38 runs needed off the last three overs, Simmons and wicketkeeper Chadwick Walton (23* off 11) accelerated, smashing boundaries off Daniel Christian and completing the chase with four balls to spare.
Simmons’ knock of 94* featured a flurry of boundaries, ensuring the Windies secured a dominant win in their IML campaign.
Brief Scores:
Australia Masters: 216/8 (Shane Watson 107, Daniel Christian 32; Ashley Nurse 3/16, Ravi Rampaul 2/23)
West Indies Masters: 217/3 (Lendl Simmons 94*, Dwayne Smith 51, Brian Lara 33, Chadwick Walton 23*)
West Indies Masters won by 7 wickets.
