NOTTINGHAM/ENGLAND: It wasn’t a case of Pakistan Zindabad but a case of Pakistan playing bad, as West Indies of old came to Trent Bridge to whip Pakistan by seven wickets in both teams first match of the 2019 ICC World Cup in England yesterday.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) put a notice in the media centre that lunch will be served between the hours of 2 pm to 4 pm, well we didn’t get to that, as the game was finished before lunch.
West Indies pacers led by Oshane Thomas 4/27 routed Pakistan for just 106 runs and in reply, they romped home at 108 for three in 13.4 overs. Chris Gayle thumped 50 off 34 balls with six fours and three sixes, while Nicolas Pooran playing in place of the injured Evin Lewis cracked 34 not out off 19 balls with four fours and two sixes.
Earlier, the first cheer of the day came from the West Indies fans walking on the edge of the River Trent as the louder speaker blared that Jason Holder called correctly at the toss and was sending Pakistan in.
With early helpful conditions, both teams would have wanted to touch grass first. West Indies opening bowlers Sheldon Cottrell and Jason Holder were given the new ball and with minutes the fans at Trent Bride stadium were being saluted by Cottrell the soldier, for he had sent back Imam ul Haq for two.
An out of sorts Holder then made way for Andre Russell and he immediately went to work, striking in his second over, taking out Fakhar Zaman for 22. The Jamaican all-rounder then got one to lift and bounce to take the edge of Harris Sohail’s bat and Pakistan had lost three wickets before reaching the 50-run mark.
However, the man to deliver the prize scalp was Oshane Thomas, as the sent Pakistan’s best batsman Babar Azam packing for 22. At the fall of Azam’s wicket, the score was 62/4 and it was left up to the veterans in skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed and Muhammad Hafeez to repair the damage.
They added 13 runs before Holder brought himself back on at the Pavilion End to remove Sarfaraz for eight via another catch to keeper Hope.
Holder would strike three balls later when new batsman Imad Wasim gloved an attempted pull for one. The ball lobbed just to the right of Chris Gayle at first slip and he laboured around to pouch it. Holder ended his third over that saw only two runs off the bat and two wickets fell.
Soon after the massive scoreboard at the City side read 78/7, when the umpire’s finger pointed to the heavens on an appeal from Thomas – giving him his second wicket and sending Shadab Khan back for a ‘duck’.
Thomas ended the innings soon after with figures of 4/27, while Holder ended with 3/42 and Russell 2/4.
The West Indies will have another five days before the next match against Australia at this venue and they will be hoping that their injured players recover in time.
SCOREBOARD
WI vs Pakistan
Pakistan inns
F Zaman b Russell*22
I ul Haq c Hope b Cottrell*2
B Azam c Hope b Thomas*22
H Sohail c Hope b Russell*8
S Ahmed c Hope b Holder*8
M Hafeez c Cottrell b Holder*1
I Wasim c Gayle b Holder*1
S Khan lbw Thomas*0
H Ali c Cottrell b Holder*1
W Riaz b Thomas*18
M Amir not out*3
Extras*4
Total all out (21.4)*105
Fall of wkts: 17, 35, 45, 62, 75, 77, 78, 81, 83, 101, 105.
Bowling: S Cottrell 4-0-18-1, J Holder 5-0-42-3, A Russell 3-1-4-2, C Brathwaite 4-0-14-0, O Thomas 5.4-0-27-4
WI inns
S Hope c Hafeez b Amir*11
C Gayle c Hafeez b Amir*50
D Bravo c Azam b Amir*0
N Pooran not out*34
S Hetmyer not out*7
Extras*6
Total for 3 wkts (13.4)*108
Fall of wkts: 36, 46, 77.
Bowling: M Amir 6-0-0-26-3, H Ali 4-0-39-0, W Riaz 3.1-0-40-0.
Result: West Indies won by 7 wkts.
Man of the match: Oshane Thomas.