MOHALI: Big-hitting Kieron Pollard nudged West Indies closer to the World Cup quarter-finals on Friday as Bangladesh were locked in a knife-edge struggle for survival against England.Pollard hammered 94 off just 55 balls and shared an 88-run stand with Devon Smith (107), who hit a maiden one-day century, as West Indies posted 275 before bowling out the Irish for 231 for a 44-run win in Mohali Pollard belted eight fours and five sixes to frustrate the Irish who won the toss and put the Caribbean side into bat on an easy-paced track at the Punjab Cricket Association stadium.Pollard also took a memorable catch to send back Irish dangerman Kevin O'Brien for five off seamer Darren Sammy, who returned impressive figures of 3-31 off his 10 overs.Ed Joyce, who played for England in the 2007 World Cup, made a 106-ball 84, containing nine fours and put on 109 for the fourth wicket with Gary Wilson (61).The win took West Indies to six points from four Group B outings while Ireland, with one win from four matches, now must beat South Africa and the Netherlands to have any hope of progressing.Smith also shared 89 runs with Shivnarine Chanderpaul, opening the innings after Chris Gayle was ruled out on the morning of the match with an abdominal strain.Kevin O'Brien, who struck World Cup's fastest hundred against England, showed he had the skills with the ball as well, grabbing a career-best 4-71.Ireland fast bowlers kept things tight in the first 15 overs and did well in the last seven overs, taking the last five West Indies wickets for 53 runs.The Irish had to wait till the 25th over to pick their first wicket when Chanderpaul (35) chipped O'Brien to short extra cover where captain William Porterfield took a low catch.O'Brien struck again three balls later in the same over when he uprooted the middle-stump of Darren Bravo before the promising left-hander could even get off the markLeft-arm spinner George Dockrell, introduced into the attack late in the 30th over, had Ramnaresh Sarwan caught in the deep for 10 to reduce the West Indies to 130-3 Ireland were left to rue missed chances against Pollard who was let off twice early in his innings with John Mooney messing up a simple run-out chance and Gary Wilson grassing a catch off Andre Botha.
