Christopher Gayle hits one of three consecutive sixes off Zimbabwe's Tawanda Mupariwa (out of pic) during their Cricket World Cup Group D match at Sabina Park yesterday. - Ricardo Makyn/Staff Photographer.

Tony Becca, Contributing Editor

The West Indies, one of the favourites to walk away with the title, booked a place in the second round of the Cricket World Cup when, as expected, they defeated Zimbabwe at Sabina Park yesterday - and with captain Brian Lara arrogantly hitting a four and then a six to win the match, comfortably and confidently at that.

After defeating Pakistan in the opening match of the tournament, yesterday's victory made it two from two for the Windies and with the high-riding home team on four points, Ireland on three, Zimbabwe on one and Pakistan still to get off the mark, with all four teams having only one match each to play, with two points for a win, and with two teams moving on from the group, the West Indies, regardless of what happens in the two remaining matches, are now guaranteed a place in the Super Eights.

The battle for the other spot from Group D is now between Zimbabwe, who take on Pakistan tomorrow, and Ireland, the swaggering Ireland, who are up against the West Indies in the final match of the group on Friday.

After winning the toss and deciding to bowl first on a grassy pitch, the West Indies not nearly as hot with the ball or in the field as they were on opening day, restricted Zimbabwe to 201 for five wickets in their 50 overs.

Then, thanks to Christopher Gayle, 40, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 21, Marlon Samuels, 28, Lara, 44 not out, and Dwayne Bravo, who hit two sixes and three fours while scoring 37 not out off 40 deliveries, strolled to victory at 204 for the loss of four wickets in 47.5 overs.

Lovely start

On a nice, sunny day, fast bowler Jerome Taylor got the Windies off to a lovely start when after Daren Powell had opened up with a maiden over to Visumusi Sibanda, he bowled Friday Kasteni for zero and with his first delivery - the left-hander going back and across but too late to cover his off-stump.

In the following over Powell made it two for two when Sibanda shouldered arms and was bowled off-stump for one,then it was 31 for three in the 10th over when Taylor bowled Chamu Chibhabha 12 and it was 59 for four in the 18th over when Stuart Matsikenyeri, 16, drove medium-pacer Dwayne Smith straight to Powell at mid-on.

At that stage Zimbabwe were sinking and only recovered through two fine partnerships - 83 off 140 deliveries between Brendan Taylor and the left-handed 20-year-old Sean Williams and one, an unbroken 59 off 54 deliveries, between Williams and Elton Chigumbura.

In an innings during which Powell bowled six overs on the trot, conceded only 15 runs, while taking one wicket and never bowled again, Taylor, who batted for 146 minutes during which he faced 121 deliveries and hit one six and one four, was run out for a well-played 50, Williams, who batted for 110 minutes during which he faced 88 deliveries and stroked seven delightful boundaries, was undefeated at the end for 70, and so too was Chigumbura who, batting for 37 minutes and facing only 29 deliveries, smashed five fours while scoring 30 and assisting Williams in carrying Zimbabwe to a fighting total.

A target of 202 in 50 overs was never expected to trouble the confident West Indies, and after taking a look at the bowling, after sizing up the pace and bounce of the pitch during which they trotted to 32 off 10 overs, Gayle and Chanderpaul stepped up the pace and led the way with an opening stand of 73 in 18 overs before they both departed within a few deliveries of each other and on the same total.

After reeling off a few handsome drives through the offside, the left-handed Chanderpaul, 21, reached forward to pacer Chigumbura, and with the ball dropping on the way to him, Sibanda dived forward and came up with a brilliant catch.

In the following over, it was 73 for two when the left-handed Gayle, after smashing three lovely sixes off successive deliveries from pacer Tawanda Mupariwa - the first one landing on the fifth floor of the new northern stand, stood in his stance, stabbed at a short delivery from Christopher Mpofu, and was brilliantlycaught by Sibanda who, moving to his right at slip, turned back and caught the ball as it bounced from wicketkeeper Brendan Taylor's left glove.

The West Indies lost wickets at 106 when Ramnaresh Sarwan, 12, drove a return catch to Antony Ireland, and at 129 when Samuels, after reeling off two exquisite strokes - a front-foot drive to the cover boundary off Chigumbura and a back foot drive to the extra-cover boundary off the pacer, drove at Mupariwa and sliced a catch to Chibhabha at gully.

With captain Lara and Bravo reeling off some splendid strokes, however, with Bravo, despite a lucky escape towards the end when he swung at Chigumbura and was dropped by Ireland coming off the third-man boundary, going back and hitting Mpofu for six over mid-wicket, and with Lara going forward and stroking Chigumbura effortlessly to the extra-cover boundary, the West Indies eased to victory and after failing to make it out of the first round last time, sent home their fans, some 10 or 11 thousand of them, satisfied and happy.

'It's a scrappy win'

West Indies coach Bennett King

Howard Walker, Staff Reporter

West Indies coach Bennett King thought his team did not perform up to expectations, though happy for the points to advance to Super Eight.

"It's a scrappy win and I am glad we pulled it out and got the points," said King after West Indies defeated Zimbabwe by six wickets at Sabina Park yesterday.

"The wicket showed that if you got in and worked hard you'll get runs, but we did not do that very well today," noted King.

The West Indies restricted Zimbabwe to 202 from their allotted 50 overs and needing just over four runs per over for victory, they laboured to the target with 2.1 overs remaining.

"Zimbabwe today just kept on fighting. We knew Zimbabwe would be tough and I think Kevin Curran (coach) did a very good job with them.

"The pitches have different characteristics and we had to adapt to them. But it will help us in the Super Eights because some of the wickets are going to be similar and it is good practice for us," said King.

More work to be done

Pace bowlers Daren Powell (1-15) and Jerome Taylor (2-45) rattled Zimbabwe's top order and at one point they were 2-2 and 4-49 before fighting back to a respectable 202.

"We certainly didn't bowl as well as we bowled the other day. We still have some work to do in the middle overs," said King.

Zimbabwe with this defeat remain on one point and have a mammoth game tomorrow against Pakistan and skipper Prosper Utseya knows his team has their hands full, but is hoping to capitalise on Pakistan's low morale at the moment.

Said Utseya: "It a shame to lose Bob Woolmer."

He added: "It would be nice if we could manage to put pressure on them. If we do it, so be it. We just have to work on our game and make sure we get it together."

He continued: "It would have been nice to get a win and put our team in a better position, but I think the guys fought well which is good. We just need to play better in our next game.

"I think we should have scored a couple more runs, but we lost quick wickets to have a good go. If we had lost any more wickets we probably wouldn't have got to 200," Utseya explained.