CRICKET: West Indies finish group stage unbeaten after easing past Italy

West Indies beat Italy by 42 runs in their final Twenty20 World Cup Group C match on Thursday in Kolkata, as the two-times champions maintained their perfect record heading into the Super Eight stage.

Skipper Shai Hope recorded his 11th T20 Internationals fifty, getting 75 off 46 balls to set up a target of 166, despite a spirited bowling performance from the opposition.

Italy were rocked early in chase when a nip-backer from Matthew Forde knocked down Justin Mosca’s (2 off 5) stumps, before Akeal Hosein exacted revenge on Anthony Mosca — after being hit for two sixes — by deceiving the opener with a slower ball for 19.

JJ Smuts (24 off 27) and Ben Manenti (26 off 21) put on a fightback, but both fell to spinner Gudakesh Motie (2/24), ending Italy's hopes. West Indies pacer Shamar Joseph registered figures of 4/30, while Forde got three wickets for 19 runs as Italy were bowled out for 123 in 18 overs.

Hope's crucial knock steadied West Indies ship early on after Italy pacers Ali Hasan (1/24) and Thomas Draca (1/22) picked two quick wickets.

Disciplined bowling from spinners Ben Manenti (2/37) and Crishan Kalugamage (2/25) shackled West Indies' lower-middle order and restricted them to 165-6 in 20 overs — a target that ultimately proved beyond the associate side, who bowed out of the tournament with a solitary win over Nepal.

-Reporting by Karan Prashant Saxena in Bengaluru; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne/Reuters