West Indies One Up!

An inspired performance by the West Indies pushed them to a 54 run win over Pakistan last Tuesday in their world cup opener at Sabina Park, Jamaica.

Dwayne Smith came up trumps with both bat and ball to lead the host nation to their sixth win against their opponents in world cup encounters.{{more}}

The all rounder first hit a blistering 32 off just 15 balls, then returned to take three wickets for 36 runs from his ten overs to peg back the Pakistanis run chase.

Among Smith’s scalps were Inzaman-Ul -Haq and Mohammed Yousuf who shared a fourth wicket partnership of 60. He first had Yousuf caught at the wicket by Dinesh Ramdin for 37, then trapped the Pakistani captain Leg Before Wicket for 36. His third victim Umar Gul fell to a superb catch by Dwayne Bravo, to move Pakistan from a position of 99 for 3 to 116 for 6. Smith was voted Man of the Match.

Sustained pressure by the West Indies bowlers backed up by excellent fielding and catching, Pakistan were never able to build long partnerships, as they lost wickets at regular intervals.

The visitors only other batting resistance came from Shaoib Malik who hit 62.Bravo chipped in with three wickets, with Darren Powell two and one each from Corey Collymore and Jerome Taylor in a discipline performance as Pakistan folded for 187 in the 48th over.

The West Indies put into bat reached 241 for nine off their 50 overs. Marlon Samuels hit a breezy 63, decorated by eight fours and three sixes. This after Pakistan had earlier removed opener Chris Gayle. Ramnaresh Sarwan dropped on nought went on to make 49 and with Samuels steadied the middle order. Samuels and his captain Brian Lara 37 consolidated the West Indies’ position, but both went in quick succession followed by Ramdin, paving the way for Smith’s cameo.

It was a welcomed dose of delight for the West Indian public, who last week had to endure the team’s poor batting display, bowled out by India for 86, in a warm up match at the Trelawny Stadium last week Friday.

It was this inconsistency that has characterised performance over the past six years. Many are wondering if it will be the same team that will show up next Monday at Sabina when the face Zimbabwe in their second Group D fixture.

They play lowly rated Ireland next Friday, March 23.

The West Indies if they can repeat last Tuesday’s sublime performance will certainly go into the Super Eight as the winner of their group.

SCOREBOARD

ICC World Cup: West Indies v Pakistan

13-03-2007 at Jamaica

West Indies beat Pakistan by 54 runs

Pakistan won the toss and decided to field

West Indies Innings

241 for 9 (50.0 overs)

Pakistan Innings

187 all out (47.2 overs)

West Indies Innings

C H Gayle c Kamran Akmal b Umar Gul 2

S Chanderpaul c Kamran Akmal b Iftikhar Anjum 19

R R Sarwan c Younis Khan b Iftikhar Anjum 49

M N Samuels c Shoaib Malik b Mohammad Hafeez 63

B C Lara c Kamran Akmal b Mohammad Hafeez 37

D J Bravo c Naved-ul-Hasan b Iftikhar Anjum 16

D Ramdin st Kamran Akmal b Danish Kaneria 1

D R Smith c Inzamam-ul-Haq b Umar Gul 32

J E Taylor run out 2

D B Powell not out 1

C D Collymore not out 8

Extras: 3nb 6w 2lb 11

Total: (50.0 ovs) for 9 241

Bowler: Umar Gul 9.0-1-38-2; Naved-ul-Hasan 9.0-1-49-0; Iftikhar Anjum 10.0-3-44-3; Danish Kaneria 9.0-2-45-1; Mohammad Hafeez 8.0=0-29

2; Shoaib Malik 5.0-0-34-0

Fall of wicket: 7 C H Gayle; 64 S Chanderpaul; 77; R R Sarwan; 168 B C Lara; 181 M N Samuels; 183 D Ramdin; 223 D R Smith; 228 J E Taylor; 232 D J Bravo

Pakistan Innings

Imran Nazir c D Ramdin b D B Powell 6

Mohammad Hafeez c B C Lara b D B Powell 11

Younis Khan c D Ramdin b J E Taylor 9

Mohammad Yousuf c D Ramdin b D R Smith 37

Inzamam-ul-Haq lbw b D R Smith 36

Shoaib Malik c S Chanderpaul b C D Collymore 62

Kamran Akmal c D J Bravo b D R Smith 0

Naved-ul-Hasan b D J Bravo 11

Iftikhar Anjum c B C Lara b D J Bravo 11

Umar Gul c and b D J Bravo 0

Danish Kaneria not out 0

Extras 2w 2lb 4

Total all out (47.2 ovs) 187

Bowler: D B Powell 10.0-1-42-2; J E Taylor 10.0-1-38-1; C D Collymore 8.2-3-27-1; D R Smith 10.0-0-36-3; D J Bravo 9.0-0-42-3

Fall of wicket: 6 Imran Nazir; 17 Younis Khan; 39 Mohammad Hafeez; 99 Mohammad Yousuf; 116 Inzamam-ul-Haq; 116 Kamran Akmal; 144 Naved-ul-Hasan; 187 Iftikhar Anjum; 187 Umar Gul; 187 Shoaib Malik

Umpires: B F Bowden, S J A Taufel

West Indies: C H Gayle, S Chanderpaul, R R Sarwan, M N Samuels, B C Lara, D J Bravo, D R Smith, D Ramdin, J E Taylor, D B Powell, C D Collymore

Pakistan: Mohammad Hafeez, Imran Nazir, Younis Khan, Mohammad Yousuf, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal, Iftikhar Anjum, Naved-ul-Hasan, Umar Gul, Danish Kaneria