ICC Cricket World Cup: Chris Gayle stars as West Indies defeat Zimbabwe in Group B clash

West Indies have defeated Zimbabwe by 73 runs by Duckworth–Lewis method in a 2015 ICC World Cup Group B fixture at Manuka Oval, Canberra, on Tuesday.

The star player of the match was West Indies opening batsman Chris Gayle who scored the first World Cup double hundred. He became the first non-Indian and the fastest player to score a double century in ODIs.

Gayle picked up two wickets and his all round performance resulted in him being named the Man of the Match.

West Indies won the toss and Jason Holder decided to bat first. The hard-hitting batsman escaped a first ball dismissal after Zimbabwe's review went against them.

The Caribbean side lost Dwayne Smith for a golden duck after being bowled by Tinashe Panyangara. He was replaced by Marlon Samuels and the duo went on to post a 371-run partnership between them, which is another record in ODIs.

Samuel remained unbeaten at 133, while Gayle was dismissed on the final ball of innings for 215 runs, which came off 147 deliveries. He hammered 16 sixes, which is the highest number of sixes scored in an innings and shared the record with South Africa's AB de Villiers and India's Rohit Sharma.

Rain interrupted play during Zimbabwe's innings, but luckily for Gayle and West Indies, the weather started to improve and the match was reduced by just two overs. The African nation lost early wickets.

Sean Williams (76) and Craig Ervine (52) played useful knocks that gave Zimbabwe some hopes of reaching the mammoth target. However, after their dismissal, Zimbabwe lost wickets at quick intervals as West Indies registered their second consecutive victory in the tournament.

With one defeat after three matches, West Indies are level on points with defending Champions India, who lead the Group B table. Zimbabwe are fifth with one win after three matches.

West Indies take on South Africa on 27 February, while Zimbabwe face Pakistan on Sunday for their upcoming Group B clash.