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| March 15, 2007 | Thursday | Safar 25, 1428 |
West Indies off to flying start with win over Pakistan
KINGSTON (Jamaica), March 14: West Indies got the 2007 World Cup off to a flying start on Tuesday by sending a packed Sabina Park crowd into raptures with a 54-run win over Pakistan (partially reported in Wednesday’s edition).
Brian Lara's home side, who were restricted to 241-9 off their 50 overs, then bowled out Inzamam-ul-Haq's unpredictable Pakistan for just 187 in 47.2 overs.
Chasing 242, Pakistan looked on track when Mohammad Yousuf and Inzamam-ul-Haq, their two most decorated batsmen, were on top of the West Indies bowling in a stand of 60 for the fourth wicket.
But Dwayne Smith, later named Man-of-the-Match, transformed the complexion of the game, when he snared three wickets – including Yousuf and Inzamam – for 36 runs from 10 overs.
Though Shoaib Malik cracked a boundary-studded 62 to lead a late charge for the Pakistanis, Dwayne Bravo snuffed the life out of the visitors' comeback with three for 42 from nine overs.
Pakistan had kept West Indies on a tight rein early, but bled late runs after they won the toss and chose to field under sunny skies.
Several West Indies batsmen got starts, but Marlon Samuels struck five fours and three sixes in the top score of 63 off 68 balls.
Imran Nazir then got Pakistan off to an exciting start, when he hit a six off the second ball of the innings bowled by Daren Powell, who then had the batsman caught behind next ball.
Pakistan were set back when Younis Khan was caught behind off Jerome Taylor top-edging a hook in the fourth over, and Powell returned to have Hafeez caught at mid-on for 11 to leave Pakistan 39 for three.
Inzamam joined Yousuf and the two were hardly troubled by the bowling, although the runs were not flowing freely and the pressure mounted.
Yousuf was the first to crack, when he essayed a back-foot drive at a rising ball from Smith and was caught behind for 37 in the 29th over, then Inzamam played across a well-pitched delivery and was adjudged lbw for 36 to leave Pakistan 116 for five in the 33rd over.
When Smith had Kamran Akmal caught low down at square cover for a first-ball duck next ball, West Indies knew they were in front, and only had to drive into the garage.
| Scoreboard | |
| WEST INDIES: | |
| C.H. Gayle c Kamran b Umar Gul | 2 |
| S. Chanderpaul c Kamran b Rao Iftikhar | 19 |
| R.R. Sarwan c Younis Khan b Rao Iftikhar | 49 |
| M.N. Samuels c Shoaib b Hafeez | 63 |
| B.C. Lara c Kamran b Hafeez | 37 |
| D.J. Bravo c Naved b Rao Iftikhar | 16 |
| D. Ramdin st Kamran b Shoaib | 1 |
| D.R. Smith c Inzamam b Umar Gul | 32 |
| J.E. Taylor run out | 2 |
| D.B. Powell not out | 1 |
| C.D. Collymore not out | 8 |
| EXTRAS (LB-2, W-6, NB-3) | 11 |
| TOTAL (for nine wkts, 50 overs) | 241 |
| FALL OF WKTS: 1-7 (Gayle, 2.2 ov), 2-64 (Chanderpaul, 19.2 ov), 3-77 (Sarwan, 23.5 ov), 4-168 (Lara, 41.1 ov), 5-181 (Samuels, 43.6 ov), 6-183 (Ramdin, 44.5 ov), 7-223 (Smith, 48.2 ov), 8-228 (Taylor, 49.1 ov), 9-232 (Bravo, 49.3 ov). | |
| BOWLING: Umar Gul 9-1-38-2 (1nb, 3w); Rana Naved-ul-Hasan 9-1-49-0 (2nb); Rao Iftikhar 10-3-44-3; Danish Kaneria 9-2-45-1 (3w); Mohammad Hafeez 9-0-39-2; Shoaib Malik 4-0-24-0. | |
| PAKISTAN: | |
| Imran Nazir c Ramdin b Powell | 6 |
| Mohammad Hafeez c Lara b Powell | 11 |
| Younis Khan c Ramdin b Taylor | 9 |
| Mohammad Yousuf c Ramdin b Smith | 37 |
| Inzamam-ul-Haq lbw b Smith | 36 |
| Shoaib Malik c Chanderpaul b Collymore | 62 |
| Kamran Akmal c Bravo b Smith | 0 |
| Rana Naved-ul-Hasan b Bravo | 11 |
| Rao Iftikhar c Lara b Bravo | 11 |
| Umar Gul c and b Bravo | 0 |
| Danish Kaneria not out | 0 |
| EXTRAS (LB-2, W-2) | 4 |
| TOTAL (all out, 47.2 overs) | 187 |
| FALL OF WKTS: 1-6 (Imran, 0.3 ov), 2-17 (Younis, 3.6 ov), 3-39 (Hafeez, 10.3 ov), 4-99 (Yousuf, 28.6 ov), 5-116 (Inzamam, 32.4 ov), 6-116 (Kamran, 32.5 ov), 7-144 (Naved, 40.2 ov), 8-187 (Rao Iftikhar, 46.5 ov), 9-187 (Umar Gul, 46.6 ov). | |
| BOWLING: Powell 10-1-42-2; Taylor 10-1-38-1; Collymore 8.2-3-27-1 (1w); Smith 10-0-36-3; Bravo 9-0-42-3 (1w). | |
| RESULT: West Indies won by 54 runs. | |
| UMPIRES: B.F. Bowden (New Zealand) and S.J.A. Taufel (Australia). | |
| TV UMPIRE: B.F. Jerling (South Africa). | |
| MATCH REFEREE: B.C. Broad (England). | |
| MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Dwayne Smith.—Agencies | |
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