Sharjah: West Indies beat United Arab Emirates by seven wickets with 88 balls to spare as their first bilateral ODI series. WI opener Brandon King scored his first one-day international century with a run-a-ball 112 for the visitors – including 12 fours and four sixes – and Shamarh Brooks made 44.

New captain Shai Hope (13 not out) hit the winning runs with a six as West Indies’ successful chase never looked in doubt. West Indies reached 206-3 in 35.2 overs to give new white-ball head coach Daren Sammy a successful start. Choosing to bat first, UAE scored 202 all out in 47.1 overs with paceman Keemo Paul taking 3-34. The 19-year-old Ali Naseer top-scored for the hosts with 58 off 52 on debut, and Vriitya Aravind scored a slower-paced 40 off 77.

Dominic Drakes (2-29), Odean Smith (2-40) and Yannic Cariah (2-26) were among the wicket-takers for West Indies. The three one-dayers will also prepare the teams for the Cricket World Cup qualifiers in Zimbabwe this month.

STUMP UPROOTED! First ODI wicket for Drakes _

West Indies on _#UAEvWI #Sharjah pic.twitter.com/wJiVycQAsl
— FanCode (@FanCode) June 4, 2023

Happy to bat anywhere for team: Shai Hope

West Indies captain Shai Hope suggested that he will continue to perform for West Indies at number 4 and is happy to bat whenever the team needs. West Indies will take on the United Arab Emirates in a three-match ODI series starting on Sunday at Sharjah as a part of their build-up for the ICC World Cup Qualifiers set to commence from June 18 in Zimbabwe.

Shai Hope has been the highest ODI run-getter since the completion of the 2019 World Cup, with 1931 runs at an average of 52.18. During this time, though, he has had a strike rate of only 74.90, the lowest among batters from Full Member nations with at least 1,000 runs.

However, as the 2023 ODI World Cup qualifier in Zimbabwe approaches, Hope has taken on a new role as an enforcer at No.4. Hope has only batted at No.4 11 times in his ODI career, and just twice this year, but in March he scored an unbeaten 128 off 115 balls.

“It’s a ticklish one, but I’m happy to bat wherever the team needs [me to]. Going forward, I think No.4 would give us a bit more stability. In the past, we’ve had some tough times in the middle overs, especially against spin. But in this series, you may see a bit of a change; the batting line-up may be a bit different to what we’re accustomed to. Yeah, I think No.4 is the position that I’ll stay at for a period of time and hopefully that continues to work for West Indies,” ESPNcricinfo quoted Hope as saying.

(with ANI inputs)