West Indies vs Pakistan, 1st ODI: 5 Tracking Points

West Indies started the tour pretty poorly as they lost the T20 series without really putting up a fight to the opposition. Pakistan seemed to be too good for them in that series as West Indies had little experience in their squad. Fast forward to the first One Day International of the tour, Pakistan were put into bat and they took advantage of the same.

Pakistan batted beautifully to post a healthy total of 308 for 5 leaving their West Indian counterparts 309 to chase. A total which was tricky to chase as a few good overs and the required run rate would creep up. But West Indies did beautifully well as they smacked the Pakistan bowlers to their bits while chasing the total down successfully.

Let us see how the match panned out in the five tracking points of the ODI.

1. Pakistan’s top order flourishes

We don’t say that a lot but Pakistan’s top order really flourished during the first One Day. They were batting with intent and had a sense of urgency to lay a good foundation for the batters to come. The first wicket stand of 85 helped Mohammad Hafeez to get himself in and then his partnership with Shoaib Malik proved why that stand was important.

Hafeez scored 88 runs of 92 deliveries as Shoaib scored a quick fire 53 of just 38 deliveries. The openers Kamran Akmal and Ahmad Shehzad scored 47 and 67 respectively which helped Pakistan post a strong total for their West Indian counterparts to chase.

2. West Indies fast bowlers fail

Pakistan batted beautifully to put off the fast bowling attack of West Indies. Only five wickets fell during the Pakistani innings and four of them were taken by a spinner. Only one went to the captain Jason Holder who was not so good given his talent.

Other bowlers, Shannon Gabriel and Alzarri Joseph were poor as well. The former leaked 69 runs in his ten overs while the latter gave away 49 runs as both of them failed to grab wickets for their team. This helped Pakistan as they were able to take advantage and post a good total.

3. Ashley Nurse produces an all-round performance

Ashley Nurse playing in his eight ODI played a vital part in the win over Pakistan. He first did it with his right arm slow off-break bowling when he bowled a smooth line which did not allow the batters to settle. Although he went for some runs but he also took four of the five wickets which certainly helped keep the total in chasing distance.

He then came in to bat and smashed a 15 ball 34 hitting five boundaries and a maximum. The situation was tough when he came to bat as the Caribbean side needed 60 runs in six overs. His hard hitting helped them chase down the total with one over to spare. It all looked glum for West Indies before this batter came out but Nurse did his best to take his team home.

4. Jason Mohammed’s blistering knock take West Indies home.

It was Nurse who finished the things but it really was Mohammad who made it easier for him. Jason came in to bat in the 33^rd over and played 58 deliveries out of 96 that were bowled later. He smashed 91 runs of those 58 deliveries which not only took his team over the finish line but also made sure he entertained all the people.

Jason hit 11 gracious boundaries and three monstrous sixes in the process of scoring 91. They were going nowhere with the chase as Powell and Lewis were finding it hard but a man named Jason Mohammad proved his worth as West Indies chased their first ever total over 300.

5. West Indies back on track

West Indies were one of the powerhouses of the game in the late 90s as they have won the game’s highest honor twice in succession. A place where legendary cricketers were born missed a Champions league birth and have to play qualifiers to make it to the world cup.

This win will surely mark a turnaround in their fortunes. This win might just take them to the next level and we might get to see the old West Indies not long from now.