Axar Patel 64* vs West Indies in Trinidad

On 24 July 2022, at Queen's Park Oval in Port of Spain, Axar Patel 64* vs West Indies in Trinidad was the innings that finished the chase. West Indies had made 311 for 6. India reached 312 for 8 in 49.4 overs and won the second ODI by two wickets, with two balls left. He was Player of the Match.

Key figures

Batting: 64 not out, 35 balls, 3 fours, 5 sixes, strike rate 182.85. The fifty came off 27 balls. Bowling: 9 overs, 1 maiden, 40 runs, 1 wicket, economy 4.44.

Match Overview

West Indies won the toss and batted. Shai Hope made 115 and Nicholas Pooran 74, and the home side closed on 311 for 6. India needed 312. Shreyas Iyer made 63 and Sanju Samson 54, so the chase had a base. The rate was still the problem once the innings reached the last ten overs.

Axar came in at No. 7. He told ESPNcricinfo afterwards that he walked in aiming at 10 or 11 an over. Sixty-four off 35 is a touch under 11 an over, so the innings landed on the rate he had set himself.

Axar Patel 64* vs West Indies: the chase

With 100 needed from 60 balls, and five wickets in hand, he was in with Deepak Hooda. Hooda was out for 33 when 56 were still needed off 36. The scorecard fifty, off 27 balls, had already included 3 fours and 4 sixes. The fifth six came after that.

The match turned with 48 needed off the last five overs. Alzarri Joseph's 46th over cost 16, including two full-toss no-balls, and Shardul Thakur was out in it. After the next over, 19 were needed off 18. Avesh Khan made 10 off 12. Axar still had the last runs to get with Mohammed Siraj.

Kyle Mayers bowled a full toss. Axar hit it back over the bowler, and that shot finished the chase with two balls remaining. The public card does not list a speed for that ball, so this piece does not invent one.

Bowling spell

Before he batted, Axar bowled 9 overs for 40 runs and one wicket, with a maiden and 30 dot balls. The wicket was Shamarh Brooks, caught by Shikhar Dhawan for 35. The ball was short of a length on off stump, straightened, and Brooks edged it to slip. In a West Indies innings that reached 311, that spell went at 4.44.

Context and impact

He told ESPNcricinfo this was his first ODI since 2017, and his first ODI fifty. The fifty was India's second-fastest in ODIs against West Indies at the time of the match report. India led the three-match series 2-0, so the result decided the series. Hope's hundred, in his 100th ODI, was the innings that got away.

Scorecard

Scorecard: West Indies vs India, 2nd ODI, Queen's Park Oval, Port of Spain, Trinidad, 24 July 2022 (ESPNcricinfo).

Frequently Asked Questions

What did Axar Patel score in Trinidad on 24 July 2022? He made 64 not out off 35 balls, with 3 fours and 5 sixes, at a strike rate of 182.85. It was his first ODI fifty.

Who was player of the match in the second ODI against West Indies? Axar Patel. The award covered both the 64 not out and bowling figures of 9-1-40-1.

How did India win the chase? West Indies made 311 for 6. India made 312 for 8 in 49.4 overs and won by two wickets, with two balls left. The finishing shot was a full toss from Kyle Mayers, hit back over the bowler.

What were Axar Patel's bowling figures in that ODI? Nine overs, one maiden, 40 runs, one wicket, economy 4.44. Shamarh Brooks was caught by Shikhar Dhawan.

Did the match decide the series? India led the three-match series 2-0 after this game. West Indies had lost the match and, with it, the series.