FLORENCE HALL, Trelawny — A good all-round performance from Narsingh Deonarine, who topscored with 40 runs and then took four wickets for 14 runs, led the West Indies to an easy 49 runs win over Canada in the Supreme Ventures Sports Betting Cricket Festival at the Trelawny Multi-Purpose Stadium here, yesterday.

West Indies first made 130 for seven batting first, then restricted the Canadians to 81 all out in 19.2 overs.

Today, West Indies will meet Ireland, who beat Jamaica, in the second of two games at the venue, in a preview to a first-round game in the ICC T-20 World Championships, later this month.

West Indies coach Otis Gibson was happy with the win, telling reporters after the game that the main objective was “to get some practice, to go out there and play some cricket”.

Gibson hailed the contribution of Deonarine, calling him “the star of the show with the bat and ball” and adding that it was good to have fast bowler Lionel Baker back in the team.

He was not overly concerned with either Shivanarine Chanderpaul or Ramnaresh Sarwan not getting into the runs, saying the latter looked good in training and in the nets and got out to a good catch, while Chanderpaul’s opening the batting was “an experiment”.

He said the team would be heading to the gym last night and they would decide on any changes for today’s game against Ireland.

In a low-scoring game played on a slow pitch and a heavy outfield, the West Indies were never pressured and cruised to an easy win as the Canadian batsmen failed to put up any resistance as only captain Ashish Bagai, with 32, and opening batsman Trevin Bastiampillai, who was run-out for 24, got into double figures.

The writing was on the wall from as early as the second ball when Rizwan was caught behind off second ball by Andre Fletcher off Baker without scoring.

It was two wickets for three runs when Hiral Patel was bowled by Ravi Rampaul and, despite dogged resistance in the middle order by Bagai and Bastiampillai, once they went with the score at 64, the lower order capitulated as they lost their final six wickets for 17 runs.

Deonarine led the West Indies’ assault with his four wickets, while Baker ended with 2-9 off 3.2 overs. Rampaul, Benn and David Bernard Jnr, ended with a wicket each.

Earlier, the West Indies won the toss and batted first and despite failures by top-order batsmen Chanderpaul, Sarwan and Darren Bravo, good knocks from Deonarine, 40, and Andre Fletcher, 32, piloted them to a useful score on a slow pitch and against an average bowling attack.

The West Indies batsmen showed their intent early by taking quick singles and kept the Canadian fielders busy.

Deonarine looked the part in his 23 balls knock hitting back-to-back sixes in one over bowled by Harvir Baidwan where the West Indies scored 19 runs.

The Guyanese batsman also had two fours, while Andre Fletcher hit three boundaries in his knock of 32. Wavel Hinds made 16 against Rizwan Cheema, who took three wickets for 19 off four overs, while Umar Bhatti and Hiral Patel took two each.