Shai Hope Chases Down England with Dhoni's Mantra, Windies Win Thriller

In the first ODI between the two teams on Sunday, Shai Hope played the role of the knight as the West Indies chased a 326-run target against England. Hope also chanted the mantra that master finisher Mahendra Singh Dhoni gave him in order to complete the task.

The West Indies defeated England by four wickets thanks to Hope's undefeated century and Romario Shepherd's quick forty-eight, while England's attempts to recover from their disastrous World Cup campaign took a knock in Antigua.

At Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, England's batsmen were impressive as they amassed 325 all out in 50 overs. However, captain Jos Buttler made his fifth single-figure score in eight ODIs after being dismissed for three off 13 balls.

After being reduced to 213/5 in the 39th over, the Windies looked to be beyond reach of the total, but Hope's 109 not out off 83 balls and Shepherd's 28-ball 48 helped the home team reach the target in 48.5 overs.

The Windies were able to cross the finish line thanks to Hope's three sixes in four balls off the expensive Sam Curran, who cost 98 in 9.5 wicketless overs.

How was Hope's innings planned? During the post-match press conference, Hope stated, "A very, very famous person, MS Dhoni— we had a chat a while ago, and he was saying, 'You always have a lot more time than you think'."

Hope continued, "That's one thing that has stuck with me over the years I've played ODI cricket."

The Windies achieved their second-highest successful ODI chase as a result of the effort.

How about England? Harry Brook's 71 off 72 balls and opener Phil Salt's 45 off 28 were among their highlights.

While Captain Buttler thought the "fantastic game" was great, he also pointed out some areas that still needed work. "A wonderful cricket match... Shai Hope deserves recognition. They performed incredibly well at the back end to chase down the numerous questions we posed. I thought our batting effort was excellent. There are certain things we can improve upon.

going on to the following one," Buttler remarked.

Brief scores: West Indies 326/6 in 48.5 ovs (S. Hope 109 n.o., A. Athanaze 66; R. Ahmed 2/40) and England 325 in 50 ovs (H. Brook 71, Z. Crawley 48; G. Motie 2/49) West Indies prevailed by four wickets.

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