The West Indies hit a respectable 178 runs in the first leg of Game 4 in Florida on Aug. 12, Saturday. Hitting in the best condition to date in the series, the Windies started off positive but lost out to the Indian spinners who operated in the middle behind the power play.
The team was aided by a helpful hit from the return of Shai Hope and Shimron Hetmyer. Hope played his first T20I game since February 2022. Hope hit 45 runs on 29 balls and looked most comfortable against Indian spinners - Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal. Hope appeared while trying to take out Chahal in the 13th minute of the game.
"I've always wanted to play this format and contribute to the West Indies. Today I had a chance and thought I was fine. You always think you've had enough. But that's cricket, anything is possible. go out. Hopefully, we can defend that," Hope said at halftime.
Windies' ball players got off to a good start in power play as Kyle Mayers faced off against Indian pitchers Arshdeep Singh and Axar Patel in power play. However, the team got lost midway, losing some plug points.
Hope praised Shimron Hetmyer's 61 rounds, which helped the Windies survive the competition.
"Yes, I think we started well. We can talk about all the possibilities. But we didn't do well in between. Hettie (Hetmyer) ran well and in the end, it was a good finish. Maybe 10 points short but confidently defend that," said Hope.
"They played well, we lost a few goals in the middle. Hetmyer came in and played aggressively from the start, which gave me some breathing room. Obviously, I want to go out there and still have a big one. But it is so," Hope lamented being fired.
The West Indies have a chance to win Saturday's series in Florida if they win Game 4 T20I.
