KINGSTON: The West Indies secured a place in the Super-Eight round of the World Cup with a comfortable six-wicket win on Monday over Zimbabwe.

Captain Brian Lara slammed a four and a six off successive balls to win with 13 balls to spare.

Lara finished 44 not out off 68 balls as the West Indies reached a winning total of 204 for four off 47.5 overs.

Dwayne Bravo supported with a fluent, unbeaten 37 and shared a match-winning unbroken fifth-wicket partnership of 75 with Lara.

West Indies openers Chris Gayle and Shivnarine Chanderpaul built the platform for the win with a first-wicket stand of 73.

After its upset win over 1992 champion Pakistan and tie with Zimbabwe, Ireland has a chance to make the Super Eights.

Settling down

Gayle took some time to settle in the West Indies's reply before lashing three sixes and three fours in his 40 off 48 deliveries.

The powerful Jamaican struck his three sixes off the first three balls from Tawanda Mupariwa's fifth over to accelerate the pursuit.

And he admitted he had plans of equalling Herschelle Gibbs's record six sixes in an over against the Netherlands a few days ago, but the bowler hit back well.

The first of Gayle's three huge sixes bounced back off the roof of the new Northern Stand at long-on.

"I think that's the biggest six I've ever hit. It went a long way," Gayle said. "It's good to see the ball going over the boundary. Hopefully in the future I can carry on when I get a start."

Fightback

Zimbabwe came back into the contest when both Chanderpaul and Gayle fell inside five deliveries.

Ramnaresh Sarwan and Marlon Samuels both got starts, but they fell in quick succession to silence a crowd of 10,500 as the home team slipped to 129 for four off 33 overs.

But Lara, who became the seventh player to 1,000 World Cup runs when he'd scored seven, and a confident Bravo, saw their team home.

Earlier, Sean Williams's career-best unbeaten knock of 70 rescued his Zimbabwe from 31 for three. The left-hander hit seven fours off 88 balls as the visitors recovered from two wickets down for two in the third over after being sent in by Lara.

Williams shared restorative stands of 83 with Brendon Taylor (50) and 60 unbroken with Elton Chigumbura (30).

Jerome Taylor took two for 42, while there was a wicket apiece for Daren Powell and Dwayne Smith. — AP

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