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West Indies prove too hot for Pakistan

ICC Cricket World Cup,West Indies,Pakistan,

West Indies all round performance was too hot for Pakistan to handle in the last 14 overs of their innings at bat and the first four in the field. Having stumbled to 167 for 3 in 36 overs with one batsman retired hurt and set to miss the next two matches, they took 143 runs off the last 11 overs.

The openers failed to give the Caribbean men a good start and it was up to the other batsmen to come good and they did, chipping in with some much needed runs the urgency they showed getting the.

Denesh Ramdin, Lendl Simmons and Andre Russell all helped turn the tables for the West Indies who did not look like getting near 250. Ramdin and Simmons scored fifties at a little over run a ball, at a very important time. Russell hammered, in the end, an unbeaten 42 off 13, which pushed the West Indies to 310-6 at the end of 50 overs.

Pakistan did themselves no good in the field and was rather sloppy dropping four catches, all absolute sitters. The ground fielding was a joke and they looked like they were one of the debutants of the World Cup.

West Indies who began the match with a lot of pressure, having lost to Ireland, needed to win here to give themselves a chance of advancing to the quarter finals and get their confidence up. It was Pakistan who won the toss and asked the Caribbean team to bat first.

Dwayne Smith was the first to go after he was dropped by Nasir Jamshed, Chris Gayle wasn’t having any luck as he was well taken .

At 28 for 2 Marlon Samuels looked frustrated and looked like he was only going to score in boundaries. Darren Bravo was settling and found his feet to stabilize the West Indies innings.

However, with the partnership reading 75 off 16.1 overs, Samuels had to go when tried to cleared the boundary and picked out long-on.

Samuels and Bravo though, did give the rest of batmen to come a little room to work with knowing that they had wickets in hand.

Denesh Ramdin came to join his fellow Trinidadian, Bravo. Ramdin was looking good playing an array of shots and was looking dangerous getting the singles and showed his top order how important they are in the game. Ramdin urgency was needed in the innings and that led to him and Bravo getting 48 runs off 6 overs.

Darren Bravo’s injured hamstring could not save Pakistan as it was the hard hitting Lendl Simmons who came to join Ramdin. Ramdin brought up his half century but he marched backed to the pavilion soon after.

West Indies were now 194 for 5 with 11 overs to go. Darren Sammy and Lendl Simmons kept the scoreboard ticking over but were in a spot of bother at one point when Pakistan was being mean with runs. Simmons, one of the few who has scored a century so far in the tournament was surely the man to try get his team up to 250 or more. There was pressure with runs not coming as the pair would have like and Simmons hit Riaz straight to third man in the next over, but Irfan dropped him.

Luckily for Irfan, Simmons added only six to his 44. Andre Russell was the next man at the crease and he wasted no time, punishing the length balls bowled. You knew he was at his best when he was hitting the ball flat but powerfully, that is when he is dangerous.

Russell has now scored 157 off 78 in his last four innings. He kept clearing his front leg and swinging, with Pakistan helping him by not bowling yorkers. They chose variations over the yorkers, which had worked to slow the Indian batmen down in Adelaide in their previous match.

When it was time for the West Indies to field they of all persons would have known the job was not done as yet with a par score. Sulieman Benn was brought in to strengthen the bowling attack for the West Indies with Kemar Roach making way for him.

Jamshed, who had been brought in strengthen the batting was the first to go, facing just two balls. It was the start of the Jerome Taylor show. Nasir Jamshed looked to play a fast one from outside off and pulled, but only managed to pick out short midwicket. Five balls later, Younis Khan was on his way before he could get his feet moving, a delivery angling into him from wide of the crease and straightening at the last moment to catch the outside edge to give Ramdin an easy take behind the stumps.

Haris Sohail made it three ducks in a row, cutting a ball from Taylor that was too close to his body, only finding the point fielder, who juggled but held on. Holder joined the party when Ahmed Shehzad drove a delivery from him not getting to the pitch to give a catch to gully.

With Pakistan at 1 for 4, the West Indies was totally in control and looked the winners but still had more work to do. The win looked near but with two very patient and experience batman at the, crease the Caribbean men would have to keep their discipline until it was over.

Not even the man who makes the most of a good crisis, Misbah-ul-Haq, could not put up a stand, falling for only 7 to leave Pakistan at 25 for 5 it was now just playing for pride an making sure they were not bundled out for a historically low total.

Sohaib Maqsood (50) and Umar Akmal half centuries came too late and not with the urgency required after the early damage.

Andre Russell and SuliemanBenn finished it off for the West Indies to give them a 150 runs win and a wonderful net run rate and a recovery from their disappointing performance against the Irish.

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