CWC Qualifiers: Johnson Charles smashes his seventh ODI fifty
West Indies batter Johnson Charles smoked a fiery half-century in Match 18 of the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifiers 2023. The right-handed batter showcased remarkable intent and smoked runs all over the park. He ended up scoring 54 off 55 balls, a knock laced with nine boundaries and a maximum. This was his seventh fifth in ODIs. Here are further details.
Charles gets WI off to a flier
Netherlands won the toss and opted to bowl at Harare's Takashinga Sports Club. A hamstring injury to Kyle Mayers meant Charles, who batted at three in WI's recent games, got to open. The dasher made most of the opportunity as he and Brandon King added 101 runs for the first wicket. Charles fell prey to pacer Vivian Kingma soon after getting to his fifty.
Seventh fifty for Charles
As mentioned, this was Charles's seventh ODI half-century and second in the competition. He made 66 in WI's opener against the United Arab Emirates. Standing in his 55th ODI, Charles has now raced to 1494 runs at 27.16. His strike rate in the format reads 85.27. Besides seven fifties, he also owns a couple of tons as his highest score reads 130.
Charles's journey at the highest level
Having made his international debut in 2011, Charles has struggled to cement his place in WI's white-ball teams. The wicketkeeper-batter was also a part of West Indies's ICC T20 World Cup-winning squads in 2012 and 2016. The T20I series against Australia last year marked his return to the WI team after almost six years. He has played some brilliant knocks since then.
