http://www.senore.com/Cricket/West-Indies-c760 start home season with impressive T20 win over Pakistan
WI 150/7 20 overs PAK 143/9 20 overs
A fine all-round performance by http://www.senore.com/Cricket/A-Young-c41367 West Indian team, guided the hosts to an impressive win in their first ever T20 match against Pakistan.
The hosts posted a sizeable total thanks to a brilliant knock of 65 runs by opening batsman, Lendl Simmons, who was making a comeback in the national team.
He was ably supported by the brightest batting prospect in the region, the left-handed Darren Bravo, who scored 42 runs with the help of 4 fours and a brace of sixes.
West Indies opted to bat first after captain Darren Sammy made the correct call at the toss of the coin.
Pakistan made an early breakthrough when Andre Fletcher was sent packing by Abdul Rehman in the second over of the match.
Then Simmons and Bravo tore into the spin c*m pace attack of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755, the pair added 99 for the second wicket in what turned out to be a match winning stand.
Pakistan pulled the game back with a succession of wickets at this stage. Bravo was dismissed by Rehman, while Simmons was run out after hitting 7 fours and 2 sixes in his 44 ball knock.
The late order chipped in with some handy boundaries to take the hosts to the 150 run mark. For Pakistan, Wahab Riaz, Rehman, and, Saeed Ajmal, snared 2 wickets each.
The reply by the Men in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Green-c60723 was disastrous. The opening pair of Mohammad Hafeez and Ahmed Shehzad was dismissed to meek shots.
Youngsters Asad http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Shafiq-c89281 and Umar Akmal got the measure of the bowling initially, however, the introduction of young leg spinner, Devendra Bishoo, turned the tide decisively towards the hosts.
In his first over he accounted for Shafiq and the very next ball, Misbah Ul Haq trod on to his stumps while attempting a pull shot.
His strange demise summed up Pakistan’s day, Umar was joined by Captain http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Shahid-Afridi-c2482, and the big-hitting Afridi was sent packing by Bishoo when a stinging drive was held by Sammy at covers.
Pakistan’s plight was summed up by their inability to make proper use of even one of the five free hits that came their way. Akmal, who was the top scorer with 41, perished attempting a big swing, to all but end his team’s hopes.
The visitors were kept in the game by a late assault by off-spinner Saeed Ajmal, who hit a couple of useful boundaries. However, it was too little too late with the tourists ending 7 runs short of the target.
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