NEW DELHI, February 28 – Kemar Roach grabbed six wickets, including a hat-trick, and Kieron Pollard smashed 60 off 27 balls to help West Indies thrash the Netherlands by 215 runs in the World Cup on Monday.
Pollard built on the platform laid by Chris Gayle, who made 80, as the Caribbean side posted 330-8 before bowling out their hapless opponents for 115 off 31.3 overs in the Group B game at the Feroz Shah Kotla stadium.
The West Indies’ total was the highest at the ground, which is coming off a 12-month suspension over a dangerous playing surface.
The Netherlands hardly posed any threat in the lop-sided encounter, crumbling to 36-5 by the 11th over after early strikes from Roach, who took 6-27, and left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn (3-28).
Roach, 22, returned to collect only the sixth World Cup hat-trick and the first of this tournament, when he sent back Pieter Seelar, Bernard Loots and Berend Westdijk.
Dutch hope Ryan ten Doeschate, who scored 119 against England, failed to repeat his magic, trapped leg before wicket for seven by Benn.
Tom Cooper provided the only resistance with an unbeaten 55 off 72 balls.
West Indies captain Darren Sammy praised Roach.
"It was great, brilliant. His role in the team is to be a strike bowler and it was important that he went out and did it," said Sammy.
"It’s important to see us not only winning but winning convincingly and Roach came out and put his hand up and did what he came to do for the team."
Roach was delighted with his performance.
"My job is to keep my pace up and be as accurate as possible, but I still have a lot of work to do," said the Barbados bowler.
"The surface was kind of slow so our plan was to bowl straight at the stumps."
Dutch skipper Peter Borren was bemused by his team’s performance after they had pushed England hard in their opener.
"I don’t know what to put it down to. I guess the guys just didn’t turn up after what was a decent performance against England," he said.
"There’s no doubt we’re going to have to have a good look at ourselves after today which was a disappointing performance."
Gayle put on 100 runs for the opening wicket with Devon Smith (53) after the West Indies were put in to bat on a placid wicket in the day-night clash.
Pollard, who plays for Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League, hammered five fours and four sixes on his way to the third-fastest World Cup half-century before Ramnaresh Sarwan chipped in with a 42-ball 49.
Gayle overcame a subdued start to unleash seven fours and two sixes in his 110-ball knock, which was cut short by ten Doeschate (1-77) during a batting powerplay.
Smith scored at a quicker pace than his more famous partner, racing to his fourth one-day half-century off 45 balls with the help of nine fours.
Just when Smith looked set to go on to a bigger score, he edged behind off medium-pacer Bernard Loots to give the Netherlands their first breakthrough in the 17th over.
The promising Darren Bravo, with 30, then joined in the party, dispatching Australian-born Cooper to the stands before hitting another six off left-arm spinner Pieter Seelaar who finished with 3-45.
But Seelaar took his revenge in his next over, tempting Bravo to charge down the pitch and offer a simple catch to Alexei Kervezee at long-on.
Kervezee also took two more catches which accounted for Gayle and captain Darren Sammy, who made just six, in an otherwise sloppy performance in the field by the non-Test playing nation.
The win put life back into the West Indies campaign after they lost to South Africa in their opener.
For Netherlands, it was the second defeat on the trot after the six-wicket reversal against England in Nagpur last week.
