Castries (St. Lucia): West Indies and New Zealand played unbeaten to top their groups on Saturday to reach the semi-finals of the inaugural World Double-Wicket tournament at St. Lucia's Beausejour Cricket Grounds. The two teams will be joined by pairs representing Pakistan and Sri Lanka, which clinched The other two spots for Sunday's semi-finals. The tournament winner will receive $ 65,000 and the runner up $ 30,000. Saturday's play produced both disappointment and excitement. The clash between West Indians Carl Hooper/Chris Gayle and Pakistanis Wasim Akram/ Shahid Afridi, which had been billed as the match of the tournament, ended in an anticlimax when Pakistan conceded the match after Afridi suffered a back injury. Later England's big-hitting Andrew Flintoff made up for the disappointment by belting 12 sixes, but was out four times and had his score reduced by 40. England's 112 was the highest of the tournament so far, surpassing Pakistan's 107 on Friday. Pakistan started the day with an easy win over England, which scored 38. Afridi continued from where he left off Friday, scoring 20 off the first over from Adam Hollioake, but then he suffered an injured back which restricted his movements and checked any further onslaught on the bowlers. New Zealand then got the better of South Africa to make way for the much-anticipated West Indies-Pakistan clash. Batting first, the Pakistanis were in early trouble, Hooper taking four wickets in his first two overs. Agencies Extras:
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Tags: cricket, west indies vs new zealand, world double-wicket tournament at st. lucia's beausejour cricket grounds, pakistan vs sri lanka, west indian carl hooper, west indian chris gayle, pakistani wasim akram, pakistani shahid afridi, andrew flintoff, adam hollioake, new zealand vs south africa.