Alick Athanaze hit the joint-fastest half-century on a ODI debut and off-spinner Kevin Sinclair marked his return with a four-wicket haul and a series of flamboyant somersaults as the West Indies defeated the United Arab Emirates by four wickets to complete a 3-0 sweep in Sharjah on Friday.

The West Indies overhauled their target of 185 with four wickets and nearly 15 overs to spare.

Both 24-year-old Athanaze and 23-year-old Sinclair are not part of the West Indies’ squad for the upcoming World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe.

On Friday, opener Athanaze got off to a flying start, racing to 30 off 11 balls.

He then equalled Krunal Pandya’s record for the joint-fastest fifty on ODI debut with a drilled four off Rohan Mustafa.

Athanaze looked good for a century, but Aayan Khan cut his innings short on 65 off 45 balls.

In the absence of regular captain Shai Hope and vice-captain Brandon King, who were rested among a number of changes, the West Indies went 81 balls without a boundary.

Stand-in captain Roston Chase (27) closed out the chase along with Keemo Paul.

The start had been promising for the UAE after they opted to take the first strike.

Vriitya Aravind (70) and captain Muhammad Waseem (42) forged a 69-run partnership for the second wicket off just 55 balls.

It was Raymon Reifer who snapped the stand when he went around the wicket and hit the top of Muhammad Waseem’s off stump in the 12th over.

Aravind went on to bring up a 42-ball fifty, but Sinclair kept striking as the UAE’s innings spiralled out of control.

Sinclair celebrated with a series of acrobatic somersaults.

From 142-3, the UAE eventually folded for 184, leaving almost 14 overs unused in their innings.

Both the West Indies and the UAE now head for Zimbabwe and the 10-nation World Cup Qualifier which starts on 18 June.

Only two teams will go through to the tournament in India in October and November.

© Agence France-Presse