JOIN USWest Indies trample Pakistan
Pakistan suffered their second consecutive loss as they were handed a crushing 150-run defeat by the West Indies who rode on Andre Russell’s all-round show in a completely one-sided cricket World Cup match here on
Russell smashed 42 runs of just 13 balls at the fag end of West Indies innings, hitting three fours and four sixes, after half centuries from Denesh Ramdin (51) and Lendl Simmons (50) to help his side score a challenging 310 for 6 after being put into bat. He then grabbed three wickets for 33 runs as the West Indies bundled Pakistan out for 160 in 39 overs to post a massive win at the Hagley Oval.
Pakistan, on the other hand, dished out a listless performance in all departments of the game to slump to their second defeat in the showpiece tournament. They had lost to arch-rivals India by 76 runs in their campaign opener on February 15. Opting to field after winning the toss, Pakistan let the West Indies off the hook after reducing them to 28 for 2 as the Caribbeans cruised to 310 for 6 by scoring 115 runs in the final 10 overs.
Butter-fingered Pakistan fielders put down four catches while their bowlers, except Mohammad Irfan (1/44) and Shahid Afridi (0/48), bled runs at nearly seven an over before their batsmen produced the worst ever start to fold up for 160. Pakistan’s hopes of chasing the stiff target virtually ended in 3.1 overs as by then they had lost four wickets for just one run in an unbelievable show of spineless batting.
The loss will put Pakistan in a difficult position to qualify for the knock-out stage from seven-team Group B. In the process, Pakistan dished out the worst batting show ever by top four batsmen of any team in an ODI, surpassing four wickets for four runs by Canada against Zimbabwe at Port of Spain in a tri-series match.
Only Umar Akmal (59), Sohaib Maqsood (50) and Shahid Afridi (28) could give some resistance against a disciplined bowling display by the West Indians. Pacer Jerome Taylor rocked the Pakistan top-order by grabbing three wickets for 15 runs while left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn took two wickets. Captain Jason Holder and Darren Sammy chipped in with a wicket each.
Nasir Jamshed was the first two go in the second ball of the run chase for a duck as his pull shot off Taylor went up the air for Russell to take the catch at short midwicket. Four balls later, an out-of-form Younis Khan missed the line of a pitch-up delivery which swung away to edge to wicketkeeper Ramdin for a first-ball duck as Taylor took two wickets in his sensational first over.
Taylor then dismissed Haris Sohail in his second over for the third successive duck of the run chase with the batsman attempting to play a cut shot with an angled bat only to find substitute fielder JL Carter at backward point. The other opener Ahmed Shehzad did a shade better than his three colleagues by scoring one run before he was out next ball and first of the fourth over bowled by Holder.
Captain Misbah-ul-Haq tried to revive the innings for a while but he also fell in the 11th over as he got a thick edge of the bowling of Russell with Chris Gayle taking a brilliant catch at slips. It was all over for Pakistan by then as they were reduced to 25 for five.
Maqsood and Akmal gave some fight with a 80-run stand for the sixth wicket from 15 overs before both fell in quick succession. By the time Afridi came in at the fall of Maqsood’s wicket in 26th over, the asking had shot up to nearly nine an over but the senior batsman gave a flicker of hope for Pakistan by hitting Sammy for three fours in an over.
Afridi, however, could do little as he became the ninth batsman out for a 26-ball 28 in the 37th over with Holder taking a low catch at short midwicket. Earlier, Ramdin and Simmons hit half centuries as the West Indies smashed 115 runs in the final 10 overs to post a challenging 310 for six.
The West Indies ensured that they do not lose wickets in the middle overs while also scoring runs at a reasonable pace before a final assault in the final overs from which they scored 115 runs while losing two wickets. Score Board
West Indies
Smith c Haris b Sohail Khan 23
Chris Gayle c Riaz b Irfan 4
Bravo (retired hurt) 49
Samuels c sub b Haris Sohail 38
Ramdin c sub b Haris 51
Simmons (run out) 50
Sammy c Afridi b Riaz 30
Russell (not out) 42
Extras: (B-2 LB-6 W-14 NB-1) 23
Total: (for 6 wkts in 50 overs) 310
Fall of wickets: 1-17, 2-28, 3-103, 3-152, 4-194, 5-259, 6-310.
Bowling: Irfan 10-0-44-1, Sohail 10-1-73-1, Afridi 10-0-48-0, Haris 9-0-62-2, Riaz 10-0-67-1, Maqsood 1-0-8-0.
Pakistan
Jamshed c Russell b Taylor 0
Shehzad c Simmons b Holder 1
Younis c Ramdin b Taylor 0
Sohail c sub b Taylor 0
Misbah c Gayle b Russell 7
Maqsood c Benn b Sammy 50
Akmal c Smith b Russell 59
Afridi c Holder b Benn 28
Riaz c Ramdin b Russell 3
Haris Sohail c Ramdin b Benn 1
Irfan (not out) 2
Extras: (LB-3 W-5 NB-1) 9
Total: (all out in 39 overs) 160
Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-1, 3-1, 4-1, 5-25, 6-105, 7-139, 8-155, 9-157.
Bowling: Jerome Taylor 7-1-15-3, Jason Holder 7-2-23-1, Andre Russell 8-2-33-3, Darren Sammy 8-0-47-1, Sulieman Benn 9-0-39-2.