Saim Ayub shone with the bat and came back to pick a couple of wickets with the ball as Pakistan drew first blood in the 3-match series against West Indies in Florida. Saim Ayub who was under pressure ahead of this game looked fluent for his 57 off 38 balls and cameos from batters around him helped Pakistan get to an above par 178/6 at a venue where the average score is between 165-170.
In reply, West Indies did not lose a wicket for the first 11 overs but managed only 72 runs in the process. This meant that the asking rate got too high and the pressure got the better of the middle order batters. Mohammad Nawaz was the pick of the bowlers with 3/23 in 4 overs while Ayub chipped in with 2 wickets himself as Pakistan beat West Indies by 14 runs for West Indies’ 6th consecutive loss at home.
Sai Ayub’s classy half-century propels Pakistan to 178.
Put into bat first by Shai Hope, Pakistan openers Sahibzada Farhan and Saim Ayub came out to bat for the visitors. Farhan made his intentions clear as he got a boundary away off Jediah Blades. Farhan did not let Jason Holder settle down either as he hit a boundary to deep fine leg. Saim Ayub joined the party when Akeal Hosein came into the attack as he hit him for consecutive boundaries to put pressure on the bowler. The introduction of Shamar Joseph got a wicket for the West Indies as he dismissed Sahibzada Farhan for 14 off 12 balls with 2 boundaries to his name.
Joseph bowled a length ball angling at the leg stump, Farhan cleared his front leg to heave but got beaten and the ball hit his thigh pad on the back leg. The appeal was given and Farhan reviewed and saw Umpire’s call on hitting the stumps. The review was retained but Farhan had to walk back to the hut. Fakhar Zaman came out to bat at 3 and got off the mark as well. Roston Chase was introduced into the attack and was hit for a boundary by Fakhar.
Ayub then hit Shamar Joseph for a boundary to start the final over of the powerplay while Fakhar launched him over long-on for the first maximum of the game. At the end of the powerplay, Pakistan were 46/1. Roston Chase bowled a relatively tight over after the powerplay while Romario Shepherd’s first over ended with a boundary hit by Fakhar Zaman. Ayub then hit Roston Chase for another boundary as some sloppy work took place in the fielding.
Soon, the 50-run stand came up between Zaman and Ayub while Ayub hit a cracking boundary off Shepherd. At the end of 10 overs, Pakistan were 83/1 as Drinks was called into the ground. Blades came back into the attack and was dispatched for a maximum by Ayub. Soon, Ayub completed a half-century off 34 balls with a brace to the left of deep cover point. He celebrated it by launching a maximum off Blades as the 100 came up for Pakistan in 11 overs.
Jason Holder came back into the attack and struck for the West Indies as he sent back Saim Ayub for 57 off 38 balls with 5 fours and 2 sixes to his name. Holder went for the yorker at the base of leg stump. Ayub looked to clear his front leg and jam it out in the leg side but missed it. The ball missed and hit his pads. The umpire raised the finger. Ayub reviewed it in hope and saw three reds and in the process burnt a review for Pakistan. Hasan Nawaz came out to bat next and got off the mark straightaway.
Akeal Hosein came back and bowled a miserly over. Shamar Joseph struck for his side as he got rid of Fakhar Zaman for 28 off 24 balls with 2 fours and a six to his name. Joseph bowled a fuller length ball at the leg stump from over the wicket. Zaman cleared his front leg and looked to heave it across the line. He mistimed it to deep midwicket. Romario Shepherd settled underneath it and took a fine catch close to the ropes. Mohammad Nawaz came out to bat next.
Mohammad got off the mark straightaway while Hasan hit him for a boundary over covers. Hasan Nawaz then survived a close call when his aerial shot landed in no man’s land but then he launched Hosein over long-off for a huge maximum as Pakistan were 126/3 in 15 overs. Hasan was in full flow as he hit Jason Holder for another maximum over long-off. Akeal Hosein finally struck for the West Indies getting rid of Hasan Nawaz for 24 off 18 balls with a boundary and 2 sixes to his name.
Hosein bowled it wide outside off on a length. Hasan reached out for it and went for the uppish cut. He didn’t get the timing right and it went straight to Johnson Charles who took a fine catch at deep point. Captain Salman Ali Agha walked out to bat next. Mohammad Nawaz then hammered Hosein down the ground for a maximum to end his spell. Romario Shepherd came back into the attack and got rid of Mohammad Nawaz for 9 off 8 balls with a maximum to his name.
Shepherd bowled full and wide outside off. Nawaz looked to go inside out but hit it straight down the throat of Gudakesh Motie at sweeper cover who took a comfortable catch coming in a few inches from the deep. Faheem Ashraf came out to bat at 7 and got off the mark as well. Faheem Ashraf then hit a maximum off Jason Holder as Sherfane Rutherford dropped a sitter at deep cover point and parried the ball over the ropes. Shamar Joseph was tasked to bowl the final over and he after giving runs in 1s and 2s picked up the wicket of Faheem Ashraf for 16 off 9 balls with a six to his name.
Joseph bowled it full and outside off angling across. Ashraf went for a big hit down the ground again but mistimed it to long-off. Holder settled underneath it and on the third attempt after a few juggles held onto the catch. Mohammad Haris came to the crease to face the final ball of the innings and he hit the ball over deep fine leg for the maximum to get off the mark and end the innings in style. Salman Agha remained unbeaten on 11* off 10 balls as Pakistan finished with 178/6 in 20 overs. 13 extras given by the West Indies bowlers.
Shamar Joseph was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 3/30 in 4 overs. Jason Holder got a wicket in his his 1/36 in 4 overs. Akeal Hosein finished with 1/31 in 4 overs. Romario Shepherd finished with 1/29 in 3 overs. Roston Chase bowled 3 overs for 23 runs without taking a wicket while Jediah Blades went for 24 in his 2 overs. This meant West Indies needed 179 to go 1-0 up in the series.
Mohammad Nawaz’s 3/23 spins a web as Pakistan draw first blood in the series.
A new opening pair for West Indies walked out to bat in Johnson Charles and Jewel Andrew on his T20I debut. Both of them started steadily with Shaheen Afridi bowling a tight first over. Mohammad Nawaz was greeted into the attack with a boundary hit by Andrew and he did not stop there as he launched a maximum over long-on. Afridi bowled another tight over.
Haris Rauf came into the attack and he was welcomed by Johnson Charles with a boundary. Charles survived a close caught behind appeal as DRS was also not required. Charles rounded off the over by smashing a maximum off Rauf. Faheem Ashraf was welcomed into the crease with a maximum by Jewel Andrew. Charles also managed to get a boundary away off Ashraf. Andrew launched Rauf for another maximum as West Indies were 0 down at the end of the powerplay reaching 47/0 in 6 overs.
The spinner Sufiyan Muqeem came into the attack post the powerplay and bowled a tight over where West Indies crossed the 50-run mark as well and of the partnership. Mohammad Nawaz pulled things back after his expensive first over as he bowled a miserly over to put pressure on the West Indies. Runs were coming in singles as Pakistan squeezed in a few tight overs through Nawaz and Muqeem.
Johnson Charles got a lifeline off Nawaz as Faheem Ashraf dropped a sitter at short third man. At the end of 10 overs, West Indies were 63/0 but the required rate had gone up as well. The hosts needed 116 off the remaining 60 balls with 10 wickets in hand as the umpires called for the Drinks Break. Charles finally broke the shackles by thumping Muqeem over cow corner for the maximum. But Nawaz finally provided the breakthrough for Pakistan getting rid of Jewel Andrew for 35 off 33 balls with a boundary and 3 sixes to his name.
Nawaz bowled from around the wicket fuller length delivery wide outside off. Andrew hung back and looked to flat bat it over long-off but didn’t get the timing right. He hit it straight down the throat of Fakhar Zaman who made no mistake. Shai Hope came out to bat next at 3. Nawaz got two in the over as he dismissed the other opener Johnson Charles for 35 off 36 balls with 2 fours and 2 sixes to his name.
Nawaz bowled an arm ball on a length outside off, Charles looked to go over midwicket with a horizontal bat swing, and got a top edge that went straight up in the air. Mohammad Haris settled underneath it and took a good catch. Gudakesh Motie was promoted up the order and went first ball for a golden duck. Nawaz bowled a fuller length on the leg stump, Motie cleared his front leg and looked to heave it across the line. He mistimed it and the ball goes straight into the hands of Saim Ayub at deep midwicket who took a good diving catch. Sherfane Rutherford came out to bat next and survived the hat-trick ball.
Saim Ayub came onto bowl next and he got rid of Shai Hope as wickets had started to fall for the West Indies. Hope fell for 2 off 5 balls. Ayub bowled it full and tossed up at the off-stump from over the wicket. Hope made room on the leg side and looked to clear the man at long-on. He failed to get the elevation or power. The ball went straight into the hands of Hasan Nawaz who didn’t have to move an inch and took it comfortably. Roston Chase came out to bat next and got off the mark with a couple of runs.
Haris Rauf bowled a quiet over before Rutherford broke the shackles by hitting a boundary off Ayub. But Ayub had the last laugh as he got rid of Rutherford for 11 off 11 balls with a boundary to his name. Ayub bowled a length ball on the leg stump turning away. Rutherford hung back and looked to pull it away but mistimed it straight to Fakhar Zaman at deep backward square leg. Romario Shepherd came out to bat next and got off the mark as well. He hit a maximum off Ayub to bring up the 100 for West Indies in 15 overs. At the end of 15 overs, West Indies were 100/5 needing another 79 runs off 30 balls.
Shepherd then hit Shaheen Afridi for a boundary through deep backward square leg. But Afridi had his man as he dismissed Roston Chase for 5 off 5 balls. Afridi bowled it full and slower one outside off, Chase backed away and looked to go over covers but mistimed it. Sahibzada Farhan moved to his right and took a good catch near the ropes. Jason Holder came out to bat next. Sufiyan Muqeem came back into the attack and got rid of Romario Shepherd for 12 off 5 balls with a boundary and a six to his name.
Muqeem from over the wicket bowled a length ball on the leg stump going straight on with the arm. Shepherd rocked back and looked to whip it away but missed it. The ball went through the inside edge and knocked the top of the middle stump. Shamar Joseph came out to bat next and got off the mark as well. Holder then launched Afridi for a maximum but the game was as good as over with the required rate climbing to astronomical heights.
Holder then hit back-to-back sixes off Haris Rauf while Joseph hit another maximum off Rauf to end the 19th over as 19 runs came off it. West Indies needed 34 off the final over which was given to Faheem Ashraf to bowl. Ashraf started with a couple of wides before Holder launched him for the maximum. But the bowler came back bowling a dot ball followed by a single and a dot ball as well to seal the deal for Pakistan. Shamar decided to finish with a flourish hitting a boundary and a maximum to end the match and reduce the margin of defeat. 19 runs came off the over as West Indies eventually finished with 164/7 in 20 overs with Jason Holder on 30* off 12 balls with 4 sixes to his name while Shamar Joseph was unbeaten on 21 off 12 balls with a boundary and 2 sixes to his name. 13 extras given by Pakistan.
Mohammad Nawaz was the star as he got 3 wickets in an over to turn the game on its head. He finished with 3/23 in 4 overs. He was ably supported by Saim Ayub who picked up a couple of wickets for 20 runs in 2 overs. Shaheen Afridi bowled a decent spell of 1/27 in 4 overs while Sufiyan Muqeem bowled a miserly spell of 1/20 in 4 overs. Haris Rauf went for 41 runs in his 4 overs while Faheem Ashraf went for 31 in his 2 overs. So, Pakistan win by 14 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the 3-match series and for his all-round performance with bat, ball, and in the field Saim Ayub was awarded the Player of the Match Award.
What Lies Ahead.
So, Pakistan are 1-0 up in the 3-match T20I series and the next match will be on Sunday morning at the same venue in Florida. Pakistan will be looking to seal the series on Sunday while the West Indies will attempt to keep the series alive and break the losing streak at home?
Can West Indies fight back and keep their hopes alive? Or will Pakistan run riot over them? We shall find out when the second game comes along in a couple of days time.
Also Read: WI vs PAK: Struggling West Indies Lock Horns Against Bruised Pakistan