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West Indies vs Pakistan Live Commentary, Match 2, ICC Cricket World Cup, 2019, May 31, 2019

PAK 105/10 (21.4)
West Indies beat Pakistan by 7 wickets
WI 108/3 (13.4)
Match over
Pakistan Inning West Indies Inning
0.0 : Welcome to the second game of the World Cup 2019. It's the clash between two of the most unpredictable sides in the tournament. Champions Trophy winner Pakistan take on dark horses West Indies. Both teams are on the back of a series loss but that all goes out of the window when it comes to the World Cup. Both the teams will look to get their campaign off with a win. A very exciting clash awaits us. Stay tuned as the toss is not far away.
Pitch Report - Mel Jones says that the breeze is there from one side and informs the boundaries straight are big. Micheal Holding from the other end says pacers and spinners will not be excited looking at the surface. He then has a chat with pitch curator Steve Birke. Birke says it is quite white and firm, there is a lot of moisture and grass. It is a very good batting track. Holding then goes to the surface and says there is a tinge of green but nothing much and he reckons the ball will come o
TOSS - Up goes the coin and it falls in the favour of Jason Holder. WEST INDIES OPT TO BOWL FIRST.
West Indies skipper, Jason Holder says the conditions won't change a lot and they might get some movement early on due to the overhead conditions. States they are here for the last couple of weeks and before that they were in Ireland so everybody has been playing cricket. Informs Lewis and Gabriel are not fit and Roach and Allen are the other two to miss out. Ends by saying they are improving eaach game and that is important. They are looking for early wickets
Pakistan skipper, Sarfaraz Ahmed says they wanted to bowl first due to the overcast conditions but it does not matter. Reckons after a couple of overs, it should be a good batting wicket. Mentions their batting has been in good form and that is a positive. Informs they had already announced the 12 and Asif Ali is the one missing out. States Mohammad Amir and Wahab Riaz are experienced bowlers and they both are expected to do well. Ends by saying the wicket here is a good batting wicket and there
West Indies (Playing XI) - Chris Gayle, Shai Hope(WK), Darren Bravo, Shimron Hetmyer, Nicholas Pooran, Andre Russell, Jason Holder (C), Carlos Brathwaite, Ashley Nurse, Sheldon Cottrell, Oshane Thomas.
Pakistan (Playing XI)- Imam-ul-Haq, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Haris Sohail, Mohammad Hafeez, Sarfaraz Ahmed (WK/C), Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Amir.
Out walk both sets of players for their respective national anthems. First up it will be Pakistan's national anthem followed by West Indies. We are not far away from the start here.
Done and dusted with the national anthems. West Indies players are in a huddle before they take their positions in the field. Fakhar Zaman and Imam-ul-Haq stride out to open the innings for Pakistan. The latter will take the strike. The first new ball is in the hands of Sheldon Cottrell. The umpire says and so we shall begin.
0.1 : S Cottrell to Imam, WIDE! Not the ideal start but there is a hint of away swing so that will give Cottrell some confidence. It is outside off and on the wrong side of the tramline. Imam leaves it alone and the umpire signals it as wide.
S Cottrell to Imam, Corrects his line and bowls it closer to the off stump. Imam lets it carry to the keeper.
0.2 : S Cottrell to Imam, Hits the length hard on the fourth stump line. Imam does not get on the way of the ball and shoulders arms to it.
0.3 : S Cottrell to Imam, Good ball. Length ball just outside off. Imam tentatively looks to defend it but the ball moves away from him and misses the outside edge.
0.4 : S Cottrell to Imam, Full toss on off. Luckily it is not a beamer and Imam blocks it.
0.5 : S Cottrell to Imam, Close! Cottrell was excited but the keeper was not. Good length ball outside off, Imam looks to play it away from the body. The ball goes past his outside edge. Cottrell appeals but the keeper does not go up.
0.6 : S Cottrell to Imam, Another good ball to finish the over. For the first time it is full and it comes in to the left-hander. Imam looks to defend but gets an inside edge onto his pads.
Jason Holder to bowl from the other end.
1.1 : J Holder to F Zaman, First runs off the bat. Full from Holder first up and Zaman drives it through mid off. The ball does not have the legs to go to the fence and they run three.
1.2 : J Holder to Imam, Back of a length ball on off, Imam gets off the mark with a gentle push towards cover.
1.3 : J Holder to F Zaman, Good length ball outside off, Zaman leaves it alone.
1.4 : J Holder to F Zaman, SIX! What a hit! First one of the day and it is a huge one. Holder is guilty of bowling it full on the pads, Zaman takes full toll of it and smashes his flick over the square leg fence for a maximum.
1.5 : J Holder to F Zaman, Holder pulls his length back and corrects his line. It is on middle and leg. The ball comes in after pitching. Zaman looks to defend but misses and gets hit on the body.
1.6 : J Holder to F Zaman, Dot to finish. Length ball outside off, Fakhar shoulders arms to it. Good over for Pakistan. 10 runs off it. Not the start West Indies skipper would have wanted.
2.1 : S Cottrell to Imam, Uppish but safe. Cottrell bowls it on the pads, Imam flicks it uppishly towards square leg and gets a single.
2.2 : S Cottrell to F Zaman, FOUR! Fakhar looks in the mood today. Cottrell bowls it on a length outside off, Zaman smashes it over covers and gets a boundary.
2.3 : S Cottrell to F Zaman, On the leg side now. It is on middle and leg, Zaman flicks it to square leg and gets a one.
2.4 : S Cottrell to Imam, Length ball on off, Imam pushes it to the man at point.
2.5 : S Cottrell to Imam, Back of a length ball on off, Imam defends it solidly.
2.6 : S Cottrell to Imam, OUT! West Indies draw first blood. All the pressure Cottrell was building on Imam has finally paid off. It is not the best of balls but Cottrell won't mind. Length ball on the leg side, Imam looks to pull but ends up gloving it behind to the keeper. Shai Hope moves to his right and takes an easy catch. Sheldon Cottrell brings out his trademark salute celebration and the West Indies players are ecstatic. Just the start the men from Caribbean would have wanted.
Babar Azam walks out at number 3.
3.1 : J Holder to F Zaman, Full on middle, Zaman drives it to mid on.
3.2 : J Holder to F Zaman, On a good length on off, Zaman defends it off the front foot.
3.3 : J Holder to F Zaman, Good length delivery on middle, Zaman defends it off the back foot.
3.4 : J Holder to F Zaman, FOUR! Excellent shot from Fakhar Zaman. Length delivery outside off, Zaman cuts it through point for a boundary.
3.5 : J Holder to F Zaman, Length delivery again outside off, Zaman slaps it through covers. The batsmen get three runs.
3.6 : J Holder to B Azam, Full on middle, Azam flicks it through mid-wicket. The fielder chases it and does well to stop it. The batsmen get three runs. 10 runs have come from the over. Big over for Pakistan.
4.1 : S Cottrell to B Azam, FOUR! A hit me ball this. Cottrell bowls a juicy full toss on off, Babar drives it excellently through covers for a boundary. Azam is in great form and with this drive he just shows it.
4.2 : S Cottrell to B Azam, Better line and length this. He hits the length hard on off, Azam blocks it off the back foot.
4.3 : S Cottrell to B Azam, Outside off, no swing on this one. Babar leaves it alone.
4.4 : S Cottrell to B Azam, Good length ball going away with the angle, Azam has no interest to drive it and leaves it alone.
4.5 : S Cottrell to B Azam, Nice flick. Length ball on off, Azam flicks it to towards square leg and calls for two straightaway. He gets it with ease.
4.6 : S Cottrell to B Azam, Now bowls it straight on the fourth stump line. Azam leaves it to see off the over.
Andre Russell is introduced into the attack.
5.1 : A Russell to F Zaman, Starts with a length ball outside off, Fakhar looks to hit it but misses it.
5.2 : A Russell to F Zaman, Good length ball on middle and leg, Fakhar blocks it solidly.
5.3 : A Russell to F Zaman, Outside off on a length, Fakhar runs it down towards third man and gets a single.
5.4 : A Russell to B Azam, Another excellent shot from Babar! He gets a length ball outside off, Babar slashes it wide of third man. Oshane Thomas runs to his right and keeps it down to one.
5.5 : A Russell to F Zaman, OUT! What a bouncer! But also how unlucky is Fakhar here? Andre Russell bends his back and bowls a superb bouncer. It is right on the body, Zaman looks to pull it but gets a top edge onto the grill. Now then, he does not know where the ball is and unluckily for him the ball goes onto hit the leg and middle stump.
Haris Sohail is the new batsman in.
5.6 : A Russell to H Sohail, Another brilliant bouncer. Welcomes Sohail with a shorter one. It is on middle and leg, Sohail ducks under it.
6.1 : S Cottrell to B Azam, On the body this! Sheldon hits the deck hard and bowls it on a length on middle and leg, Azam looks to hit it but gets hit on the body.
6.2 : S Cottrell to B Azam, Back of a length ball on off, Azam blocks it off the back foot.
6.3 : S Cottrell to B Azam, Good length ball on off, Azam defends it right off the middle.
6.4 : S Cottrell to B Azam, Oh! Good ball this! It is fuller outside off, tempting Babar to drive. He falls into the trap but luckily for him he does not edge it.
6.5 : S Cottrell to B Azam, On middle and leg, Azam flicks it to fine leg and gets a single.
6.6 : S Cottrell to H Sohail, FOUR! In the air but over the fielder. Cottrell bowls it full outside off. Sohail stretches out and drives it over the cover fielder and the outfield here is quick so it races away to the fence. Good way to get off the mark.
7.1 : A Russell to B Azam, Length ball outside off, Babar slaps it towards third man and gets a single.
7.2 : A Russell to H Sohail, On the pads to the southpaw. Sohail turns it away to fine leg and gets a run.
7.3 : A Russell to B Azam, Good short ball once again. It is on off and middle, Babar sways away from it.
7.4 : A Russell to B Azam, Bouncer. This has been warned as the first one of the over. It is closer to the body and once again Babar gets away from it.
7.5 : A Russell to B Azam, Another short ball. Russell is serving him a lot of these. Babar does not go after it and lets it carry to the keeper. Russell is lucky to get away with these. He is bowling too many of them here.
7.6 : A Russell to B Azam, Short again. This is on the body, Azam ducks under it and Russell once again gets away with it.
Carlos Brathwaite is into the attack.
8.1 : C Brathwaite to H Sohail, Bowls it on a length and around the pads, Sohail flicks it towards square leg and gets a couple.
8.2 : C Brathwaite to H Sohail, Length ball on off, Sohail blocks it.
8.3 : C Brathwaite to H Sohail, Length ball on off, HS pushes it to mid off.
8.4 : C Brathwaite to H Sohail, Good length ball on the body, Haris looks to flick but it goes off his gloves towards square leg and they get one.
8.5 : C Brathwaite to B Azam, On the stumps, Azam defends it off the front foot.
8.6 : C Brathwaite to B Azam, Dot to finish the over. Tight start from Brathwaite. Just 3 off his first. The last ball is on the pads, Azam flicks it to the man at mid-wicket.
9.1 : A Russell to H Sohail, Short again on the body. Sohail ducks under it. No prizes for guessing. The ploy here is to pepper him with short balls.
9.2 : A Russell to H Sohail, Once again the length is the same and it is on middle. Sohail sits under it.
9.3 : A Russell to H Sohail, Third short ball on the trot and once again Sohail ducks it.
9.4 : A Russell to H Sohail, OUT! Russell gets his second and the ploy to bowl short here has worked. Pakistan here are under the pump. After three short ball on the body, Russell bowls it on back of a length outside off. Sohail calmly sat under the first three and then he finally decides to hit it. He goes after it and ends up getting a faint outside edge to Shai Hope behind the stumps. He takes his second catch of the game and West Indies are all over Pakistan like a rash. Pakistan desperately
Pakistan skipper, Sarfaraz Ahmed walks out to the middle.
9.5 : A Russell to S Ahmed, Yorker on off, the skipper does well to block it. Not the ideal ball you want when you are facing the first ball.
9.6 : A Russell to S Ahmed, Brilliant! Top class stuff from Russell. It is a wicket maiden from Russell here. The last ball is on a length on off, Sarfaraz just taps it to the man at point.
Powerplay 2 signalled by the umpire. Four fielders can now be placed outside the 30-yard circle till the 40th over.
10.1 : C Brathwaite to B Azam, On a good length on middle, Azam looks to flick but gets hit on the thigh pad.
10.2 : C Brathwaite to B Azam, Good length delivery on off, Azam defends it out.
10.3 : C Brathwaite to B Azam, DROPPED! This could prove costly. Short and outside off, Azam cuts it towards point where Hetmyer goes for the catch but spills it. He went with both hands but still could not grab it. He went in the wrong direction for the catch.
10.4 : C Brathwaite to B Azam, Length delivery on middle, Azam nudges it towards square leg for a run.
10.5 : C Brathwaite to S Ahmed, Bowls a bouncer, Ahmed does well to duck under it.
10.6 : C Brathwaite to S Ahmed, FOUR! Poor delivery from Brathwaite. Full on leg, Sarfaraz flicks it towards fine leg for a boundary. 5 runs have come from the over.
Oshane Thomas is into the attack now.
11.1 : O Thomas to B Azam, Starts with a fuller ball on off, Babar strokes it to mid on.
11.2 : O Thomas to B Azam, Good fielding in the deep from Pooran. Good length ball on middle and leg, Babar flicks it wide of deep square leg. Pooran stationed at deep square leg runs to his left and puts in a dive to stop the ball from going to the fence. He manages to do so and they get a couple.
11.3 : O Thomas to B Azam, FOUR! Pulled and pulled handsomely! Thomas bangs it in short, Azam was waiting for it and pulls it away over mid-wicket for a boundary.
11.4 : O Thomas to B Azam, Follows it up with a single wide of point.
11.5 : O Thomas to S Ahmed, In the air but safe. Back of a length ball outside off, Ahmed plays it uppishly wide of third man for a single.
11.6 : O Thomas to B Azam, Back of a length ball outside off, Azam leaves it alone.
12.1 : C Brathwaite to S Ahmed, Fuller on off, Sarfaraz pushes it towards mid off and takes a quick single.
12.2 : C Brathwaite to B Azam, Fuller on off, Babar runs it down to third man and gets a single. The fielder at first slip dives to his right to stop the run but cannot do so.
12.3 : C Brathwaite to S Ahmed, Good length ball on off, Sarfaraz defends it to point.
12.4 : C Brathwaite to S Ahmed, On the pads, Sarfaraz turns it away to fine leg and gets a single.
12.5 : C Brathwaite to B Azam, Bouncer on middle and off, Azam ducks under it.
12.6 : C Brathwaite to B Azam, On the pads, Azam flicks it to the on side and keeps the strike.
13.1 : O Thomas to B Azam, OUT! What an outstanding catch by Shai Hope. It is his third catch today. Thomas bowls it short and wide outside off, Azam looks to cut but gets an outside edge. It goes towards Hope where he dives with both hands and takes a stunner of a catch. A much-needed wicket for West Indies. Pakistan needed him to stay till the end but unfortunately he has thrown it away.
0.0 : The new man in is Mohammad Hafeez.
13.2 : O Thomas to M Hafeez, Bowls it full on middle, Hafeez defends it back to the bowler.
13.3 : O Thomas to M Hafeez, FOUR! Off the mark and this will give Hafeez bucket loads of confidence. Length ball outside off. He offers him width and Hafeez slaps it through point for a boundary.
13.4 : O Thomas to M Hafeez, FOUR! Two in two. Thomas overcorrects his line and bowls it full on the pads, Hafeez flicks it over mid-wicket. The fielder in the deep runs and puts in a dive to his left but cannot stop it from going to the fence.
13.5 : O Thomas to M Hafeez, Full on the pads, this time Hafeez misses his flick and gets hit on the pads.
13.6 : O Thomas to M Hafeez, Full on off, Hafeez defends it to see off the over. It has been an eventful over. 8 runs and a wicket have come from the over.
14.1 : C Brathwaite to S Ahmed, Good length ball outside off, Sarfaraz plays it to the man at point.
14.2 : C Brathwaite to S Ahmed, Back of a length ball on off, SA taps it back to the bowler.
14.3 : C Brathwaite to S Ahmed, Short delivery outside off, Sarfaraz pulls it to deep mid-wicket and gets a single.
14.4 : C Brathwaite to M Hafeez, Back of a length ball outside off, Hafeez lets it carry to the keeper. The Pakistani supporters here are booing the West Indies players for the amount of short balls being bowled here.
14.5 : C Brathwaite to M Hafeez, Length ball on off, Hafeez defends it off the front foot.
14.6 : C Brathwaite to M Hafeez, In the air but safe. Short ball on off, Hafeez is early on his pull. It goes to fine leg but it's well short of the fielder there who gets it on a couple of bounces. They take a run.
Drinks Break! West Indies are all over Pakistan. They have got through the Pakistan top order and will look to get rid of the skipper and the experienced Hafeez as early as possible. Hafeez and Sarfaraz hold the key here for Pakistan. These two will need to add a big partnership here if they want to reach a respectable total here.
15.1 : O Thomas to M Hafeez, Good length ball outside off, Hafeez shoulders arms to it.
15.2 : O Thomas to M Hafeez, On the pads, Hafeez looks to flick but misses and gets hit on the pad.
15.3 : O Thomas to M Hafeez, Full on off, Hafeez drives it but straight to the man at cover.
15.4 : O Thomas to M Hafeez, Length ball on the pads, Hafeez flicks it to mid-wicket and grunts a loud no to his partner.
15.5 : O Thomas to M Hafeez, WIDE! A huge cheer from the Pakistan supporters here as the umpire signals it as wide. It is short outside off but it bounces over the batsman's head.
O Thomas to M Hafeez, Full on off, Hafeez drives it to the right of mid off. Brathwaite misfields and the ball goes behind. He runs and stops it before the cushion and they take two.
15.6 : O Thomas to M Hafeez, Full on off, this time driven straight to mid off.
Bowling change.
West Indies have taken the review for caught behind. Sarfaraz is the man in question. It looked to be flicking his pad. Let's see if there was any bat or glove involved.
16.1 : J Holder to S Ahmed, OUT! Brilliant review from West Indies. Credit to the keeper for convincing his skipper to take the review. Nothing delivery this. Length ball on the pads, Sarfaraz looks to glance it down the leg side. He misses and it looks like it has flicked his thigh pad on its way to the keeper. But Hope and Pooran are confident they have their man. They convince their skipper to take the review. He does so and Ultra Edge shows that it clipped his glove and Hope has his 4th catch
0.0 : Imad Wasim is the new batsman in.
16.2 : J Holder to I Wasim, Good length ball on off, Wasim defends it to start off his innings.
16.3 : J Holder to I Wasim, Wasim is off the mark. He gets a length ball on the pads, Imad just flicks it to the on side and gets a single.
16.4 : J Holder to M Hafeez, Hafeez has defended it solidly off the back foot.
16.5 : J Holder to M Hafeez, On the pads, Hafeez turns it down to fine leg and gets to the other end.
16.6 : J Holder to I Wasim, OUT! For the umpteenth time the short ball has done the trick here in this game. Holder bangs it in short on the body, Imad looks to pull but he is early in his pull and he ends up gloving it. The ball lobs up towards first slip. Chris Gayle joins the party and takes a simple catch. Now even 150 looks miles away for Pakistan.
17.1 : O Thomas to M Hafeez, Full and outside off, watchfully defended.
17.2 : O Thomas to M Hafeez, Flicks this away for a single.
17.3 : O Thomas to S Khan, OUT! Plumb LBW! Totally beaten for pace. Thomas has struck. A length ball, in line of the stumps, Shadab looks to defend but the bat comes on much later than the ball. It shoots off the deck and hits Khan on his pads. Thomas appeals but even before that, Erasmus has his finger raised. Hawk Eye shows the ball to be clipping leg stump.
Hasan Ali comes in at number 9, replacing Shadab.
17.4 : O Thomas to H Ali, Outside off, played straight to point.
17.5 : O Thomas to H Ali, Oops... that was at the face of the batsman. A length ball, around middle and off, Hasan looks to flick but then looks to deck as he expects a short ball. It kicks off the deck and by pure reflex action, Ali just fends it towards square leg. A run taken.
17.6 : O Thomas to M Hafeez, The batsman has flicked the ball off his pads. One run added to the total.
18.1 : J Holder to M Hafeez, Hits the deck hard on the body, Hafeez glances it to fine leg and gets a single.
18.2 : J Holder to H Ali, Play and miss. Length ball outside off, Ali looks to play it on the off side but misses.
18.3 : J Holder to H Ali, OUT! No prizes for guessing it is the short ball which has done the trick here. Holder bangs it in short, Hasan looks to pull but ends up top edging it towards mid off. Sheldon Cottrell moves to his right and takes a simple catch. Pakistan have lost the 8th wicket here and the end looks near for Pakistan.
Wahab Riaz walks out to bat.
18.4 : J Holder to W Riaz, Good length ball on off, Riaz blocks it off the front foot.
18.5 : J Holder to W Riaz, Riaz gets off the mark. It is outside off, Wahab runs it down to third man for a single.
18.6 : J Holder to M Hafeez, On the pads, Hafeez flicks it to mid-wicket and keeps the strike with a single.
19.1 : O Thomas to M Hafeez, Good length ball on middle and leg, Hafeez blocks it.
19.2 : O Thomas to M Hafeez, Back of a length ball on the body, Hafeez looks to pull but it goes off the inside edge to the keeper on a bounce.
19.3 : O Thomas to M Hafeez, OUT! The last recognized batsman is also out of here and West Indies are just a wicket away from sealing this innings. Thomas bends his back on the body, Hafeez looks to pull but ends up top edging it towards fine leg. For a moment it looks like it will fall short of the fine leg fielder but Cottrell covers good ground running to his right and forward. He puts in a dive in front and takes a very good low catch. Cottell takes his second catch of the match.
Mohammad Amir is the last man in.
19.4 : O Thomas to W Riaz, NO BALL! Thomas has overstepped his crease by a huge margin here. Good length ball on leg, Riaz looks to flick and he does so to fine leg and gets a run. Free Hit to follow.
O Thomas to W Riaz, Nothing off the free hit. It is on a length around off, Riaz looks to smash it but gets nowhere close to the ball.
19.5 : O Thomas to W Riaz, On the pads, Riaz flicks it to fine leg and gets a single.
19.6 : O Thomas to M Amir, On the pads, Amir flicks it to fine leg and keeps the strike.
20.1 : J Holder to M Amir, Around middle and leg, helped through square leg for a single.
20.2 : J Holder to W Riaz, SIX! That is a fine shot. A short ball, but this is a half-tracker. Does not even rise to waist-high. A short ball, around middle, Riaz pulls it over mid-wicket!
20.3 : J Holder to W Riaz, The batsman fails to put bat on ball.
20.4 : J Holder to W Riaz, Back of a length ball on off, Wahab plays it to the man at point.
20.5 : J Holder to W Riaz, FOUR! Wahab has the full license to free his arms and he has done so. Full ball on off, Riaz smashes it over covers and there is no one in the deep and it goes to the fence on a couple of bounces.
20.6 : J Holder to W Riaz, SIX! Riaz has tonked it. Short ball on off, Riaz gets on his back foot and pulls it brutally over mid-wicket for a maximum.
21.1 : O Thomas to M Amir, Good length ball outside off, Amir looks to play it but misses.
21.2 : O Thomas to M Amir, On the stumps, Amir blocks it off the front foot.
21.3 : O Thomas to M Amir, NO BALL! Thomas has overstepped his line here. It is a length ball outside off, Amir makes room and looks to hit it on the off side but misses. Replays show it was a harsh call as it looked like Thomas had something behind the line. Free Hit to follow.
O Thomas to M Amir, Just a single off the Free Hit. It is outside off, Amir shuffles across and flicks it to fine leg for a single.
21.4 : O Thomas to W Riaz, OUT! Done and dusted. Thomas bowls a yorker on middle, Riaz moves away and looks to hit it but the ball is just too good for any tailender and he misses. Thomas does not and the stumps are disturbed. PAKISTAN BOWLED OUT FOR 105.
Wow. Pakistan's innings all over in a flash. Just 130 balls has this innings lasted. Pakistan have begun their World Cup campaign in a disastrous manner.
When a team is bundled out for just 105 and manage to play just over 21 overs then there is hardly anything to talk about. After being put into bat, Pakistan got off to a terrible start as they lost Imam-ul-Haq early. Fakhar Zaman and Babar Azam were looking good and got starts but they failed to convert it. Once Fakhar departed, Pakistan fell like ninepins and got bundled out for their second worst score in a 50-over World Cup.
As for West Indies' bowling, it was a complete masterclass. Everyone except Brathwaite got at least a wicket and they did not even bowl a single over of spin. Thomas was the star with the ball, picking up 4 but it was Russell who impressed the most picking up 2 big wickets . Skipper, Holder got 3 to his name whereas Cottrell got one. All in all it was a picture perfect performance by the West Indian bowlers.
So 106 to get for this batting heavy West Indian side. It should be a walk in the park for the team from the Caribbean. Pakistan will need a miracle to save this game. The second innings will start pretty shortly so be back soon. For now Oshane Thomas is caught down for a chat.
Oshane says he is delighted with his maiden outing in the World Cup. Mentions the start wasn't what he wanted but he kept gaining confidence and it all went well. States Russell started it with some good short stuff and they continued it. Informs he looked to mix up his length but mainly stuck to their plans of bowling short.
0.0 : We are back for the chase! The Pakistan team are out in a huddle. They now walk to the centre. The West indies openers, Shai Hope and Chris Gayle, follow them. The left-hander will take strike and he will face Mohammad Amir who will start the proceedings for Pakistan. Here we go...
0.1 : M Amir to C Gayle, Amir starts right on the money here. Full on middle and off. It nips in after pitching. Gayle does well to block it.
0.2 : M Amir to C Gayle, The chase is off the mark. Full on off, Gayle flicks it towards mid-wicket and sets off on his bike. Zaman has a shy at the bowler's end and he hits the stumps but Gayle was comfortably in.
0.3 : M Amir to S Hope, Good length ball first up for Hope. It is on middle and leg, Shai tucks it to mid-wicket.
0.4 : M Amir to S Hope, Nice drive but straight to the man at mid off. Full on off, Hope drives it crisply but straight to the man at mid off.
0.5 : M Amir to S Hope, This time drives it to the fielder at cover.
0.6 : M Amir to S Hope, Hope gets off the mark and also keeps the strike. It is on the pads, Shai flicks it to fine leg and gets a single.
Hassan Ali to bowl from the other end with the second new ball.
1.1 : H Ali to S Hope, Starts with a length ball on middle and off, Hope defends it to mid on.
1.2 : H Ali to S Hope, WIDE! Hassan misses his line and bowls it down the leg side. Hope looks to flick but misses and the ball goes to the left of the keeper.
H Ali to S Hope, Outside off on a length, Shai cuts it towards point and gets a single.
1.3 : H Ali to C Gayle, Full on off, Gayle hits it to the fielder at mid off.
1.4 : H Ali to C Gayle, FOUR! Off the edge! Nothing has gone Pakistan's way here. Ali bowls a short ball on the body. It is a well directed bouncer. Gayle looks to pull but gets a top edge which goes to the fine leg fence for a boundary.
1.5 : H Ali to C Gayle, FOUR! Edged and another boundary. Fuller outside off, Gayle swings his bat at it but gets a thick outside edge which flies down the third man region for a boundary.
1.6 : H Ali to C Gayle, Appeal for lbw, turned down. Length ball on the pads, Gayle looks to flick but it hits him on his pad. They put in a big appeal but the umpire is not interested. The ball was pitching outside leg and Hawk Eye later on confirms it.
2.1 : M Amir to S Hope, Through covers but only for a couple! Width on offer outside off, it is on a length. Hope slaps it but not off the middle and bags a brace.
2.2 : M Amir to S Hope, Closer to the off pole this time, the length is similar. Hope goes back and defends it onto the ground.
2.3 : M Amir to S Hope, Length ball outside off, Hope strokes it to the man at cover. The fielder there misfields but it does not cost.
2.4 : M Amir to S Hope, Bouncer on off, Hope looks to pull but does not time it well. It falls in no man's land at deep mid-wicket and they get an easy two.
2.5 : M Amir to S Hope, Chipped but safe. As I said nothing has gone Pakistan's way. Fuller ball on the pads, Hope looks to flick but ends up chipping it wide and right of the bowler. Amir was seeing whether it carries or not and it does not.
2.6 : M Amir to S Hope, Play and miss. length ball outside off, Hope throws his bat at it but it just misses the outside edge by just. Sarfaraz puts a stifled appeal but the umpire is unmoved.
3.1 : H Ali to C Gayle, Up in the air... lands in no man's land. Gayle looks to clear mid-wicket but it hits the higher portion of the bat. It lands in the mid-wicket region for a brace.
3.2 : H Ali to C Gayle, SIX! This is right off the middle and it sails into the stands. Fuller this time and on middle, Gayle clears his front leg and tonks it over the long on fence. With this biggie, he goes past Ab de Villiers as the batsman with the most number of sixes in a World Cup.
3.3 : H Ali to C Gayle, SIX! Consecutive biggies! Gayle wants to end this early. Fuller again and it is in Gayle's arc. He lofts it over the bowler's head and it clears the rope by just.
3.4 : H Ali to C Gayle, Just a single! It is the slower one from Ali. Gayle is a touch foxed by it. He looks to go again but is early in the shot. Hence, it goes a lot squarer on the leg side just for a single as there is a fielder in the deep.
3.5 : H Ali to S Hope, A good bumper, Hope ducks under it.
3.6 : H Ali to S Hope, Short again and Hope this time nails the pull shot but straight to the fielder in the deep. Another single. 16 from this over.
4.1 : M Amir to S Hope, FOUR! In the air but no one has the chance to catch it. Length ball outside off, Hope hits it over the cover fielder for a boundary.
4.2 : M Amir to S Hope, Good length ball on off, Hope follows the boundary with a front foot defense.
4.3 : M Amir to S Hope, OUT! Finally some rub of the green going Pakistan's way. Amir bowls it on a length around off, Hope looks to go over covers. He gets a top edge on it and the ball goes high in the air. Hafeez runs to his left and takes a good tumbling catching as the ball was going away from him.
Darren Bravo is the new man in.
4.4 : M Amir to C Gayle, On middle and leg, Gayle flicks it to the on side and gives the strike to the new man.
4.5 : M Amir to D Bravo, WIDE! Bouncer bounces too high! It is on middle and leg, Bravo ducks under it. The square leg umpire signals wide to the umpire and it has been wided. The decision is booed by the Pakistan supporters in the crowd.
M Amir to D Bravo, Back of a length ball on off, Bravo blocks it.
4.6 : M Amir to D Bravo, On the pads, Bravo flicks to mid-wicket. He was looking for a quick run but Gayle straightaway says no.
5.1 : H Ali to C Gayle, A good juicy full toss on off, Gayle does not take the toll of it and just drives it to the man at cover.
5.2 : H Ali to C Gayle, FOUR! Not off the middle but Gayle won't mind. Length ball outside off, Gayle looks to cut but it goes towards third man off the upper half of his bat for a boundary. Gets the desired result.
5.3 : H Ali to C Gayle, Fuller on middle, Gayle strokes it to the man at mid on.
5.4 : H Ali to C Gayle, Good length ball on off, Chris defends it off the back foot.
5.5 : H Ali to C Gayle, Edge but short of the slip fielder. Length ball on off, Gayle defends it with soft hands which sees it go to first slip on the bounce.
5.6 : H Ali to C Gayle, FOUR! This is off the meat! Good length ball on off and middle, Gayle pulls it over mid-wicket for a boundary.
6.1 : M Amir to D Bravo, Still cannot get off the mark. Good length ball on off, Bravo defends it off the back foot and looks for a single but cannot get it.
6.2 : M Amir to D Bravo, OUT! Bravo goes for a duck! Back of a length ball on off, Bravo looks to defend but the ball raises onto him. It finds the outside edge off Bravo's bat and goes to second slip. Babar Azam there takes a good catch as it comes to him on a good height. Amir gets his second and irrespective of the result this will ne a good sign for Pakistan and it's supporters.
Nicholas Pooran comes out to bat!
6.3 : M Amir to N Pooran, Pooran wastes no time and gets off the mark straightaway. On middle and leg, Pooran flicks it to fine leg and gets one.
6.4 : M Amir to C Gayle, Gayle defends it off the back foot.
6.5 : M Amir to C Gayle, On the body, Gayle looks to flick but it goes off the thigh pad. The ball goes to the on side and they take a leg bye.
6.6 : M Amir to N Pooran, Back of a length ball on off, Pooran blocks it to see off the over.
Wahab Riaz is on now!
7.1 : W Riaz to C Gayle, Good length and on off, Gayle goes back and pushes it to mid on.
7.2 : W Riaz to C Gayle, On the pads, Gayle looks to flick but misses to get hit on the pads. It rolls to the left of Sarfaraz as he dives and makes a good stop.
7.3 : W Riaz to C Gayle, A bumper now but it is outside off, Gayle watches it go through to the keeper.
7.4 : W Riaz to C Gayle, Good slower ball! It is slightly short and outside off, Gayle may not have expected it. He is way too early in the pull and misses.
7.5 : W Riaz to C Gayle, A full toss at 87 KPH on middle, Gayle may have been surprised by it as he just put bats to it and it rolls to mid on.
7.6 : W Riaz to C Gayle, Feisty stuff from Wahab! Bowls another short one and on middle, Gayle does well to evade it. A maiden by Wahab.
8.1 : M Amir to N Pooran, Sprays on the pads, Pooran looks to flick but misses. The ball hits the pads and rolls on the leg side. A leg bye taken.
8.2 : M Amir to C Gayle, Good running! Back of a length on off, Gayle pushes it towards mid off and gets to the other end.
8.3 : M Amir to N Pooran, Good delivery! Lands it on a length and around off, Pooran looks to defend but the ball jags back in. The ball hits the inside edge and then goes onto the pads.
8.4 : M Amir to N Pooran, FOUR! Not off the middle but gets the desired result. Short and outside off, Pooran looks to pull but it goes off the inner half towards mid on. Hafeez there comical dives but does not even get a hand to it and boundary results.
8.5 : M Amir to N Pooran, Wide of second slip! Length and outside off, Pooran plays it with an open face of the bat. It goes wide of the second slip fielder and down to third ma for one.
8.6 : M Amir to C Gayle, Another single! Gayle goes back and punches it towards mid off. Keeps strike.
9.1 : W Riaz to C Gayle, SIX! Smacked! Length and on off, Gayle clears the front leg and powers it over the long off fence for a biggie.
9.2 : W Riaz to C Gayle, FOUR! Up and over! 10 from the first two balls. Gayle makes room this time and Wahab bowls it short and on middle, Gayle manages to cut it over point for a boundary.
9.3 : W Riaz to C Gayle, FOUR! Cracked! It is the slower one and it is short and outside off, Gayle picks it, he waits for it and hammers it through mid-wicket. So Wahab's first was a maiden. His second has already gone for 14 and 3 balls to go.
9.4 : W Riaz to C Gayle, Looks to go for a yorker but ends up bowling a full toss on the pads. Gayle looks to flick but misses to get hit on the pads. It rolls towards square leg. A leg bye taken. Gayle is own his haunches at the other end. He seems to have a problem with his back.
9.5 : W Riaz to N Pooran, BEATEN! Good nut! Lands it on off which means the batsman has to play at it. Gets it to move away and hence, it beats the outside edge of Pooran's bat.
9.6 : W Riaz to N Pooran, Beaten again! Loose shot this time. Back of a length and way outside off, NP hangs his bat out and the ball whizzes past the outside edge. So two dots to end but still an expensive over. 15 from it. Windies are cruising along, they are 71 for two after Powerplay 1!
Powerplay 2 signalled by the umpire. 4 fielders can now be placed outside the 30-yard circle till the 40th over, don't think the chase will last till then.
10.1 : M Amir to C Gayle, A bumper and Gayle ducks under it.
10.2 : M Amir to C Gayle, Fifty for Chris Gayle. His 52nd ODI fifty. He gets there by flicking this length ball on his pads towards fine leg for a single. He has got there at a rapid pace with a strike rate of over 150. Just 33 balls he has taken to get to the milestone.
10.3 : M Amir to N Pooran, FOUR! That went like a tracer bullet! Length ball outside off, Pooran thrashes his cut through covers for a boundary.
10.4 : M Amir to N Pooran, Now plays a gentle run down to third man. It looked like it will go to the fence but Riaz gets there and saves it with a dive. Only a single.
10.5 : M Amir to C Gayle, OUT! Gayle goes just after getting to his fifty. Slower ball on off, Gayle clears his front leg and looks to go over long off but be ends up top edging it and the ball goes towards backward point. Shadab Khan there takes a dolly and Amir gets his third of the game.
Shimron Hetmyer is the new man in.
10.6 : M Amir to S Hetmyer, Gets a length ball on off first up, Shimron blocks it.
11.1 : W Riaz to N Pooran, On the shorter side, Pooran pulls it through mid-wicket for a single.
11.2 : W Riaz to S Hetmyer, Is that a drop or is that short? Not sure. It was a good effort by Imam. It is short and outside off, Hetmyer tries to drag his pull but does not get on top of the bounce. The ball takes the top edge and goes up in the air towards square leg. Imam runs in from the deep and then dives but fails to hang on. A single taken.
11.3 : W Riaz to N Pooran, FOUR! EDGY! Pooran won't care though. Short and on off, it keeps on rising. Pooran looks to defend but the ball flies off the top edge and over the slip fielder for a boundary.
11.4 : W Riaz to N Pooran, SIX! Slapped! Short again, this one does not rise as much as Wahab wanted. Pooran slaps it down to the long on fence.
11.5 : W Riaz to N Pooran, Safe again! Short and outside off, Pooran once again looks to pull. This time though the ball gets big on him. The top edge is induced. Lands away from the fine leg fielder who is beaten in the spin after the ball pitches. Luckily for him, it stops before the ropes. Just the two.
11.6 : W Riaz to N Pooran, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. A dot to end but 14 from the over.
Hassan Ali is back into the attack. 3-0-34-0, his figures so far.
12.1 : H Ali to S Hetmyer, Run out chance missed! This is nudged towards backward square leg. The batsmen take one and then go for the second. The throw is fired to Sarfaraz who at first does not whip the bails off but then he may have realized the batsman has not made his ground so he looks to whip the bails off but till then he is too far away and misses.
12.2 : H Ali to S Hetmyer, A bouncer and the batsman ducks under it.
12.3 : H Ali to S Hetmyer, Back of a length on off, Hetmyer looks to defend and does so well.
12.4 : H Ali to S Hetmyer, Full and on middle, this is worked through square leg for a brace. 11 needed now.
12.5 : H Ali to S Hetmyer, Make that 10 as this is pulled towards fine leg for one.
12.6 : H Ali to N Pooran, Back of a length on off, the batsman defends it onto the ground.
13.1 : W Riaz to S Hetmyer, WIDE! Back of a length ball outside off. It swings away and takes it outside the tramline. Hetmyer leaves it alone and it has been signalled as wide.
W Riaz to S Hetmyer, A very full ball on middle and leg, Hetmyer looks to hit towards mid-wicket but it goes off the inside edge towards fine leg for a siingle.
13.2 : W Riaz to N Pooran, FOUR! Off the edge and over the slip fielder. Length ball outside off, Pooran goes hard at it. He looks to slash it but it goes off the outside edge to the third man fence for a boundary.
13.3 : W Riaz to N Pooran, Slower ball outside off, Pooran swings his bat at it but misses.
13.4 : W Riaz to N Pooran, SIX! That will be it! Pooran finishes off in style. Riaz bends his back and bangs it in short, Pooran demolishes it over the mid-wicket fence for a biggie. WEST INDIES WIN BY 7 WICKETS.
82 balls that's all West Indies took to end this game! The win was never in doubt after their bowlers bundled Pakistan out for just 105 after some outstanding and hostile bowling show.
Chasing a very, very low target, Chris Gayle and Shai Hope came out with the mindset of ending this early. They started briskly but then Hope was dismissed. Gayle though continued hitting the bowlers to all parts of the ground and scored a half ton in no time. Soon after reaching his fifty, the Jamaican got out but the rest of the work was completed efficiently by the young guns, Nicholas Pooran and Shimron Hetmyer. The former in particular left his mark with some scintillating shots and announc
The Pakistan bowlers just did not have enough on the board for their bowlers to do something. Amir's bowling though was a positive for them. He ended with a three-fer and this will surely give him the much-needed confidence going ahead.
Earlier in the day, after electing to field, West Indies rolled back the years as they bounced out Pakistan out for a minuscule total. Except for Brathwaite, every bowler had at least a wicket. Oshane Thomas was the best among the rest as he finished with a 4-wicket haul.
Man of the Match, Oshane Thomas says he is looking to continue this start. On whether how he slept last night knowing that he was going to make his World Cup debut, Oshane tells he had a good sleep. On whether he spoke to the bowling coach he says yes and tells the plan was to bowl aggressive. On being asked whether he prefers to start with the new ball Thomas tells he is happy to bowl anywhere the team wants him to and does not matter where it is.
Pakistan skipper, Sarfaraz Ahmed, says it gets difficult if you lose the toss in such conditions and early wickets made it even more difficult. Reckons the wicket was difficult in the first 30 minutes. States they expected the wicket here to be good for batting but it was soft underneath and hence, batting was difficult. Mentions they need to play positive cricket and he hopes to bounce back. Further adds they knew the West Indies pacers would come hard at them and they did not play the short ba
West Indies skipper, Jason Holder, says they got off to a nice start and looked good right from the word go. Says Russell is an impact player and credits Oshane Thomas too for the way he bowled. Adds Cottrell also bowled well at the start. Says Gayle makes chasing easy as small targets can be tough. Informs it has been a long build up and it was good to start with the win. On being asked if they can make it till the end, Holder says if the team stays fit then definitely but also adds that they a
So that's it from this game. West Indies have completely annihilated Pakistan with this performance. We know head to the first double header of the World Cup. New Zealand take on Sri Lanka first up at Cardiff. That game will begin at 1030 Local (0930 GMT). Defending champions, Australia take on Afghanistan in the second game which is going to be played at Bristol. That game will begin at 1330 Local ( 1230 GMT). Join us for those games. Till then, Cheers!