Pakistan beat West Indies by four wickets after an exciting game, winning the five-match series 3-1. The most important aspect of the match was that Pakistan decided to bowl after winning the toss, and chased a target of 243 runs successfully. In the final moments, where on the one hand fours and sixes by Umar Akmal and Shahid Afridi made it easier for the team to head to victory, on the other, Misbah’s dismissal raised the chances of another tie. However, a missed throw by Kieron Pollard helped Pakistan take a run and win the match and the series as well.
[caption id="attachment_1932" align="alignright" width="260"]
Winning captain, man of the match and man of the series. (Photo: WICB)[/caption]
Ahmed Shehzad and Nasir Jamshed gave Pakistan an opening stand if 51 runs – first time Pakistani openers crossed 50 runs. Especially, Shehzad played well by scoring 64 runs. Although he took 100 balls to score that much, such innings was the need of the time.
When Haris Sohail was dismissed in the batting powerplay, Pakistan needed another 83 runs in 12 overs, with Umar and Misbah left at the crease. Both played responsibly and turned only those balls to boundaries that deserved to be hit. Umar started batting aggressively from the 41st over by hitting three fours to Jason Holder to lessen the required run rate.
As Pakistan were nearing the target, a moment came that was later regarded by West Indies captain Dwayne Bravo as decisive for he result of the match. A delivery by Tino Best seemed to have touched Misbah’s gloves was caught behind. But field umpire Paul Reiffel declared him not out. The host took the review, but with no Hot Spot available the decision went in favour of Misbah.
The decision helped Misbah complete his 29th ODI half-century. It was his fourth century in the five matches of the series. Presently, he is the top run scorer of 2013. It reflects his consistency as a batsman.
Pakistan run rate dropped after that until Umar hit a six to Dwayne Bravo and back-to-back six and four to Tino Best to make the matter easier for Pakistan. But Umar tired to hit yet another ball which cost him his wicket. As Umar’s shot landed safely in the hands Kemar Roach (substitute), rain started pouring in. Before the dismissal Pakistan was 10 runs ahead of the Duckworth-Lewis par score. Pakistan got tense for some moments, and rightly so. Because nobody knew the revised D/L par score. But after a brief pause, the scoreboard showed that the tourists were still 5 runs ahead of the target, means Pakistan were still the winners if the match had ended at the moment.
When the match resumed after 2o minutes, Misbah was accompanied with Shahid Afridi. West Indies set the same fielding for Afridi as they had done in the previous game, that is to lure Boom Boom to play a shot by offering him short ball so that he was caught near the boundary. But Afridi came prepared this time. He smashed a six to Dwayne Bravo on a similar delivery. He scored a four at the point in the same over to reduce the chase to just a few runs. But when the score levelled, Misbah lost his wicket in trying to play the winning shot. Saeed Ajmal, the next batsman in, only managed to take a risky single on the second last ball of the match after having missed two balls.
The builder of Pakistan’s victory, Misbah, scored 63 runs off 93 balls. He scored one six and five fours.
Tino Best was the top wicket-taker for West Indies with three wickets, while Jason Holder and Dasrren Sammy took one wicket apiece.
Earlier, West Indies made 242 runs after Pakistan put them into bat. Their innings was built up on the efforts of Johnson Charles, Marlon Samuels and captain Dwayne Bravo. The team’s strike rate remained low throughout the innings until Bravo and Sammy came and captivated the spectators by their stormy knocks. Bravo scored 48 off just 27 while Sammy made 29 off 18. The partnership between the duo was 53 off 27.
Junaid Khan took three wickets while Mohammad Irfan and Ajmal took two each.
After a poor performance in the Champions Trophy, the victory was a must for Pakistan, and this was a golden chance for the team. West Indies have never one an ODI series against since 1988 and Pakistan have been winning ODI series against them since 1993.
Now both teams are scheduled to play two Twenty20s. The first T20 will be played on July 27.
[caption id="attachment_1932" align="alignright" width="260"]
Winning captain, man of the match and man of the series. (Photo: WICB)[/caption]Ahmed Shehzad and Nasir Jamshed gave Pakistan an opening stand if 51 runs – first time Pakistani openers crossed 50 runs. Especially, Shehzad played well by scoring 64 runs. Although he took 100 balls to score that much, such innings was the need of the time.
When Haris Sohail was dismissed in the batting powerplay, Pakistan needed another 83 runs in 12 overs, with Umar and Misbah left at the crease. Both played responsibly and turned only those balls to boundaries that deserved to be hit. Umar started batting aggressively from the 41st over by hitting three fours to Jason Holder to lessen the required run rate.
As Pakistan were nearing the target, a moment came that was later regarded by West Indies captain Dwayne Bravo as decisive for he result of the match. A delivery by Tino Best seemed to have touched Misbah’s gloves was caught behind. But field umpire Paul Reiffel declared him not out. The host took the review, but with no Hot Spot available the decision went in favour of Misbah.
The decision helped Misbah complete his 29th ODI half-century. It was his fourth century in the five matches of the series. Presently, he is the top run scorer of 2013. It reflects his consistency as a batsman.
Pakistan run rate dropped after that until Umar hit a six to Dwayne Bravo and back-to-back six and four to Tino Best to make the matter easier for Pakistan. But Umar tired to hit yet another ball which cost him his wicket. As Umar’s shot landed safely in the hands Kemar Roach (substitute), rain started pouring in. Before the dismissal Pakistan was 10 runs ahead of the Duckworth-Lewis par score. Pakistan got tense for some moments, and rightly so. Because nobody knew the revised D/L par score. But after a brief pause, the scoreboard showed that the tourists were still 5 runs ahead of the target, means Pakistan were still the winners if the match had ended at the moment.
When the match resumed after 2o minutes, Misbah was accompanied with Shahid Afridi. West Indies set the same fielding for Afridi as they had done in the previous game, that is to lure Boom Boom to play a shot by offering him short ball so that he was caught near the boundary. But Afridi came prepared this time. He smashed a six to Dwayne Bravo on a similar delivery. He scored a four at the point in the same over to reduce the chase to just a few runs. But when the score levelled, Misbah lost his wicket in trying to play the winning shot. Saeed Ajmal, the next batsman in, only managed to take a risky single on the second last ball of the match after having missed two balls.
The builder of Pakistan’s victory, Misbah, scored 63 runs off 93 balls. He scored one six and five fours.
Tino Best was the top wicket-taker for West Indies with three wickets, while Jason Holder and Dasrren Sammy took one wicket apiece.
Earlier, West Indies made 242 runs after Pakistan put them into bat. Their innings was built up on the efforts of Johnson Charles, Marlon Samuels and captain Dwayne Bravo. The team’s strike rate remained low throughout the innings until Bravo and Sammy came and captivated the spectators by their stormy knocks. Bravo scored 48 off just 27 while Sammy made 29 off 18. The partnership between the duo was 53 off 27.
Junaid Khan took three wickets while Mohammad Irfan and Ajmal took two each.
After a poor performance in the Champions Trophy, the victory was a must for Pakistan, and this was a golden chance for the team. West Indies have never one an ODI series against since 1988 and Pakistan have been winning ODI series against them since 1993.
Now both teams are scheduled to play two Twenty20s. The first T20 will be played on July 27.
West Indies vs Pakistan
5th ODI
July 24, 2013
Venue: Beausejour Stadium, Gros Islet, St Lucia
Result: Pakistan won by 4 wickets
Man of the match: Misbah-ul-Haq
Man of the series: Misbah-ul-Haq
 | Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Johnson Charles | c Haris Sohail b Mohammad Irfan | 43 | 71 | 4 | 0 |
| Devon Smith | c Mohammad Hafeez b Junaid Khan | 7 | 14 | 0 | 1 |
| Darren Bravo | c †Umar Akmal b Junaid Khan | 9 | 21 | 1 | 0 |
| Marlon Samuels | c Shahid Afridi b Mohammad Irfan | 45 | 89 | 2 | 1 |
| Chris Gayle | c †Umar Akmal b Junaid Khan | 21 | 34 | 2 | 1 |
| Lendl Simmons | c Mohammad Hafeez b Saeed Ajmal | 25 | 26 | 1 | 2 |
| Dwayne Bravo | c Haris Sohail b Saeed Ajmal | 48 | 27 | 5 | 3 |
| Darren Sammy | not out | 29 | 18 | 2 | 1 |
| Sunil Narine | not out | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Extras | (lb 6, w 9) | 15 | |||
| Total | (7 wickets; 50 overs) | 242 | |||
| Pakistan (bowling) | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mohammad Hafeez | 6 | 2 | 22 | 0 |
| Mohammad Irfan | 10 | 1 | 34 | 2 |
| Junaid Khan | 10 | 1 | 48 | 3 |
| Asad Ali | 9 | 1 | 45 | 0 |
| Shahid Afridi | 5 | 0 | 30 | 0 |
| Saeed Ajmal | 10 | 2 | 57 | 2 |
 Target: 243 runs | Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nasir Jamshed | run out (Gayle) | 23 | 25 | 2 | 1 |
| Ahmed Shehzad | c DJ Bravo b Best | 64 | 100 | 8 | 0 |
| Mohammad Hafeez | c Simmons b Sammy | 11 | 22 | 1 | 0 |
| Misbah-ul-Haq | c DJ Bravo b Holder | 63 | 93 | 5 | 1 |
| Haris Sohail | c Simmons b Best | 17 | 22 | 2 | 0 |
| Umar Akmal | c sub (KAJ Roach) b Best | 37 | 28 | 5 | 1 |
| Shahid Afridi | not out | 13 | 6 | 1 | 1 |
| Saeed Ajmal | not out | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Extras | (lb 5, w 9) | 14 | |||
| Total | (6 wickets; 49.5 overs) | 243 | |||
| West Indies (bowling) | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jason Holder | 9.5 | 0 | 47 | 1 |
| Tino Best | 10 | 2 | 48 | 3 |
| Darren Sammy | 10 | 0 | 35 | 1 |
| Sunil Narine | 10 | 0 | 42 | 0 |
| Marlon Samuels | 5 | 0 | 25 | 0 |
| Dwayne Bravo | 5 | 0 | 41 | 0 |
