Stuart Binny had a match to remember as his all-round display helped India Champions beat West Indies Champions easily and by doing that he knocked West Indies and England out of the reckoning. Stuart Binny first starred with the ball as his miserly 2/17 in 4 overs alongside Piyush Chawla’s 3/18 in 4 overs kept West Indies down to 144/9 in 20 overs.
In the chase of 145 which India needed to achieve in 14.1 overs, India achieved it in 13.2 overs with Stuart Binny playing a huge role scoring an unbeaten 50 off 21 balls as captain Yuvraj Singh and later Yusuf Pathan put on the finishing touches as India romped home by 5 wickets and a place in the semi-finals which looked highly unlikely at the start of the day.
Piyush Chawla and Stuart Binny’s exceptional spell restricts West Indies to 144
Put into bat first, captain Chris Gayle and Lendl Simmons came out to bat for the West Indies. Abhimanyu Mithun bowled a tight first over before Chris Gayle smashed Varun Aaron for back-to-back boundaries. But Aaron hit back getting rid of the Universe Boss for 9 off 7 balls with 2 boundaries to his name. Aaron pulled his length back a little bit around middle and leg stump as the ball pitched and jagged back in a shade. Gayle looked to play the on-drive without any footwork and got beaten on the inside edge as the ball crashed into the stumps.
Chadwick Walton came out to bat at 3 and got 4 byes from Aaron as Uthappa missed the ball. But Aaron had two in the over as Walton departed for a silver duck. Aaron bowled a back of a length delivery around fourth stump pitching and shaping away a fraction. Walton went back and across to open his bat face and looked to guide it down to third man. He got a thick outside edge and Uthappa took the catch. Dwayne Smith came out to bat next.
Mithun once again bowled a tight over before Dwayne Smith broke the shackles by hitting a maximum off Varun Aaron. Smith was looking in the groove as hit another boundary to Abhimanyu Mithun. Piyush Chawla was introduced into the attack to bowl the final over of the powerplay and he cleaned up Lendl Simmons for 2 off 11 balls. Chawla bowled the googly tossed up on the middle stump line and the ball kept low as well. Simmons cleared his front leg and looked to smash it over the top of mid-off. He got beaten on the inside edge as the ball rattled the stumps. William Perkins came out to bat next.
Perkins did not last long either as he was cleaned up by Chawla for a bronze duck. Chawla bowled another googly flighted full around off. Perkins prodded forward and looked to drive it through covers. He too didn’t read the googly and left a gap between bat and pad. The ball sneaked through to rattle the stumps. Dwayne Bravo came out to bat next and at the end of the powerplay, West Indies were 32/4 and in more than just a spot of bother.
Stuart Binny was introduced into the attack after the powerplay and he bowled a tight first over. Chawla too gave nothing away as runs came in singles with West Indies looking to rebuild. But Binny struck in his second over as Dwayne Smith fell for 20 off 21 balls with a boundary and a six to his name. Binny bowled a good length delivery around fourth stump and also got extra bounce off the surface. Smith looked to loft it over the top of mid-off and mistimed it from the splice of his blade. Gurkeerat Singh Mann at mid-off tracked back and kept his eyes on the ball and took a good catch with both hands. Kieron Pollard came out to bat next.
Harbhajan Singh was introduced to bowl the 10th over of the innings and he bowled a decent first over. At the end of 10 overs, West Indies were struggling at 46/5 with Bravo and Pollard at the crease. Binny bowled another tight over as 50 was raised in 11 overs. Harbhajan gifted 5 bonus runs to release some of the pressure before Pollard launched him for a maximum. Pawan Negi was introduced into the attack and was launched into the stands by Pollard. Negi dropped a tough caught and bowled chance off his own bowling as Pollard had a reprieve but he soon got rid of Dwayne Bravo for 9 off 20 balls.
Negi bowled a flighted delivery around off coming in with the arm. Bravo leant forward and looked to drive it towards mid-off. He got beaten on the inside edge and the ball crashed into the stumps. Ashley Nurse came out to bat next. Kieron Pollard was batting on a different pitch as he hit Chawla for a boundary. 4 byes were also given away as the ball kept low by Chawla to Nurse. Kieron Pollard took on Negi again and hit him for a boundary and Ashley Nurse also hit his first boundary as West Indies reached 92/6 in 15 overs.
Chawla was greeted with a maximum from Pollard and soon the 100 came up for West Indies in 15.3 overs. But Chawla had his man as he dismissed Nurse for 8 off 7 balls with a boundary to his name. Chawla bowled a tossed up delivery around off which was a googly pitched and turned back in. Nurse got down on one knee and looked to sweep. He missed it completely and the umpire raised his finger immediately. Dave Mohammed came to the crease next as Chawla finished his spell.
Stuart Binny then struck for India as he dismissed Dave Mohammed for a fourth ball duck. Binny bowled a fuller length around off-stump, Mohammed cleared his front leg and mistimed the slog from the inner half of the bat. Chawla at long-on ran in and dived forward to grab a stunning catch with both hands. Nikita Miller came out to bat next. Pollard hit Varun Aaron for a boundary. There was also a run out that followed as Pollard wanted the second run but the throw from Binny at the deep came to the bowler’s end where Aaron collected the ball and broke the stumps. Miller departed for 3 off 2 balls as West Indies were 9 down. Sheldon Cottrell came out to bat at 11.
Pollard then launched Varun Aaron for the maximum to keep the fight going for West Indies. Mithun was welcomed back into the bowling attack by a maximum as Pollard reached his fifty off 33 balls and he followed that up with another maximum next ball. Stuart Binny then dropped Pollard off Abhimanyu Mithun. Pollard then hit Varun Aaron for a maximum to start the final over of the innings. There was also a short run by Pollard in the final over.
Another dropped catch happened with Pollard being put down by Abhimanyu Mithun off Varun Aaron. The final ball was dispatched by Pollard over deep backward square leg as he took tole off the length ball as West Indies finished with 144/9 in 20 overs with Pollard remaining unbeaten on 74 off 43 balls with 3 fours and 8 sixes. Cottrell was there unbeaten on 0 without facing a ball. 19 extras given by India also helped the West Indies.
Piyush Chawla was the pick of the bowlers for India Champions with figures of 3/18 in 4 overs. He was ably supported by Stuart Binny who finished with 2/17 in 4 overs. Varun Aaron picked up a couple of wickets in his 2/40 in 4 overs. Pawan Negi picked up a wicket in his 1/20 in 2 overs. Abhimanyu Mithun bowled a miserly spell of 0/22 in 4 overs. Harbhajan Singh went wicketless in his 2 overs that he bowled. That meant that India needed to score 145 runs to win, and they had to do it in 14.1 overs to surpass England’s Net Run Rate and qualify for the semi-finals.
Stuart Binny’s unbeaten 50 leads to India’s place in the semi-finals
Chasing 145 for the win, Robin Uthappa walked out to bat alongside Impact Player Shikhar Dhawan. Shikhar came in place of Varun Aaron while Fidel Edwards replaced Kieron Pollard as Impact Player. Fidel opened the bowling for West Indies and bowled a tight first over. Sheldon Cottrell came to bowl the second over and was hit for a boundary by Dhawan. Dhawan survived a minor scare as a throw from Cottrell missed the keeper by a whisker.
Dhawan then decided to take on Edwards by hitting him for a boundary and followed that up with a huge maximum. Robin Uthappa joined the party as he hit Fidel Edwards for his first boundary as well over mid-on. Sheldon Cottrell gave the breakthrough for the West Indies as Uthappa was dismissed for 8 off 7 balls with a boundary to his name. Cottrell bowled a short of a length delivery on the stumps which Uthappa looked to pull it over square leg but mistimed it towards deep backward square leg where Lendl Simmons took an easy catch. Gurkeerat Singh Mann walked out to bat at 3.
Dwayne Smith was introduced into the attack and was dispatched by Dhawan for a maximum. But Smith had his revenge as he got rid of Dhawan for 25 off 18 balls with 2 fours and 2 sixes to his name. Smith bowled a back of a length delivery on the stumps. Dhawan charged down and swung at it but lost the shape a tad and mistimed it high in the air. Walton behind the stumps settled underneath it and took the catch with ease. Suresh Raina came out to bat next and got off the mark straight away.
Raina hit a boundary off Cottrell to get himself going while Mann heaved away for a boundary to wide long-on to end the powerplay. At the end of the powerplay, India were 48/2. Dwayne Smith struck again as he got rid of Gurkeerat Singh Mann for 7 off 8 balls with a boundary to his name. Smith bowled it fuller and slower delivery on the stumps, Gurkeerat planted his front leg across a tad and looked to whack it across the line, but the bat rotated in his hands and he mistimed the stroke to wide long-on. Bravo moved to his right and took an easy catch. Stuart Binny came out to bat at 5.
Dwayne Bravo came into the attack and struck for the West Indies as Suresh Raina was dismissed for 7 off 9 balls with a boundary to his name. Bravo bowled from over the wicket back of a length delivery on the middle and leg stump. Raina got forward to play across the line but is cramped for space. He got it high on the bat and the ball ballooned up in the air. Bravo moved to his right and completed an easy catch as he dismissed his former Chennai Super Kings partner. Captain Yuvraj Singh walked out to bat next at 6.
Yuvraj got off the mark in style with a boundary and got off to the other end. Stuart Binny got a streaky boundary away and followed it up with a shot of authority as well. Yuvraj then hit Dwayne Smith for a boundary as the southpaw showed his intentions clear. Binny punished Smith by launching the ball over deep square leg for the maximum. Bravo was then smoked down the ground for the maximum as Binny meant business. Halfway stage of the chase and India were 91/4 needing 54 runs off 25 balls to qualify for the semis.
Yuvraj showed his class again as he smashed Cottrell for the maximum over deep square leg as the 100 came up for India in 10.4 overs. Binny got a boundary away as well as he looked unstoppable out there. Binny then decided to take on DJ Bravo and launched him for two consecutive sixes to start the 12th over before going to the other end. But Bravo hit back getting rid of Yuvraj Singh for 21 off 11 balls with 2 fours and a six to his name.
Bravo bowled a fuller length pace on delivery at the stumps, Yuvraj stayed deep in his crease and looked to whip at it but missed it into his pads. It was dead in front as the umpire raised his finger in a flash. Yusuf Pathan walked out to bat next. Yusuf joined in the party by smashing Fidel Edwards for the maximum. Edwards overstepped as well with Yusuf taking full tole of the free hit hitting him away for a boundary.
Stuart Binny brought up his fifty off 21 balls with a single before Yusuf decided enough is enough and finished things off in style by slog sweeping the good length slower delivery outside off-stump over deep square leg for the maximum to finish the chase in 13.2 overs as India went through to the semi-finals. Binny remained unbeaten on 50 off 21 balls with 3 fours and 4 sixes to his name while Yusuf Pathan remained unbeaten on 21 off 7 balls with a boundary and 2 sixes to his name. 9 extras given by West Indies as this was done and dusted for India.
Dwayne Smith picked up 2/27 in 3 overs while Dwayne Bravo picked up 2/47 in 3.2 overs. Sheldon Cottrell finished with 1/33 in 4 overs while Impact Player Fidel Edwards went for 39 in 3 overs for 0 wickets as only 4 bowlers were used by West Indies today. It meant India were through to the semis and West Indies and England bowed out of the tournament. For his all-round performance, Stuart Binny was awarded the Player of the Match Award.
What Lies Ahead
With this win, India jumped from the bottom of the table up to 4th in the table and a place in the semi-finals as they finish on 3 points after 5 games with a win and no result alongside 3 losses. West Indies finish at the bottom of the points table with 2 points after 5 games with one win and 4 losses. They go home alongside England as well.
We are done with the league stages and now off for the semi-finals which will be played in Edgbaston on 31st July 2025. As things stand, it will be Pakistan vs India at 5 pm and South Africa vs Australia at 9 pm. But things can change with the Indo-Pak conflict and geopolitical reasons and so the fixtures or anything can change. So, we will wait for that update to come through. But the climax promises to be a thriller as WCL draws to a close soon.
Also Read: WCL 2025: Ravi Bopara’s Monstrous Ton Outplays India