Twitter Reactions: Mohammad Hafeez stars as Pakistan take 1-0 lead in West Indies T20Is

After the opening T20I in Barbados got washed off, Pakistan opened their account in the four-match T20I series against West Indies. They won by seven runs at the Providence Stadium in Guyana to take a 1-0 lead in the series with two matches left.

Babar steps up yet again

For the visitors, their skipper Babar Azam top-scored with a 40-ball 51 with four fours and two sixes. Mohammad Rizwan’s 36-ball 46 also helped Pakistan’s cause. The left-handed Sharjeel Khan didn’t disappoint either, scoring a quickfire 16-ball 20 at the top.

Pakistan lost a bit of momentum in the end and reached 157 for the loss of eight wickets. For the hosts, Jason Holder picked up four wickets. Dwayne Bravo also got the crucial scalps of Fakhar Zaman and Mohammad Hafeez.

Hafeez bowls brilliantly

In the run-chase, barring Nicholas Pooran, no other Caribbean batter looked comfortable. The left-hander stayed unbeaten on 62 off 33 with four fours and six sixes. His knock went in vain as West Indies couldn’t go over the finishing line.

Evin Lewis, Chris Gayle, Shimron Hetmyer and Kieron Pollard got into double digits, but couldn’t convert. Mohammad Hafeez was unplayable for Pakistan since he gave only six runs in four overs and got the crucial wicket of Andre Fletcher.

I’m happy as a captain with the way he bowled: Babar Azam

After the win, Babar lauded Hafeez for the stupendous spell of bowling. Pollard, on the other hand, reckoned that the Caribbean team made a decent comeback while bowling. He also said that the Pakistan bowlers used the conditions to good effect.

“We were 10-15 runs short after the rain. But a nice victory. Bowlers bowled really very well. Credit to our bowlers, they bowled really well. We lost momentum because of back-to-back wickets. We were looking at 170.

“It’s an area we will try to improve in the next few games. The way he (Hafeez) bowled in the powerplay showed his experience. I’m happy as a captain with the way he bowled,” Babar said.

“Thought 170-180 would have been too much and the way the guys came back in the last 10 overs with the ball and be consistent in that part of the game, was good. There was moisture and swing, grip for the bowlers, they (Pakistan) used the angles and used the wicket a lot more,” Pollard added.

Here’s how the netizens reacted to Pakistan’s win: