BRIDGETOWN: Shadab Khan produced an outstanding debut performance as Pakistan completed a comfortable six-wicket victory over the West Indies in the first fixture of a four-match Twenty20 international series at Kensington Oval on Sunday.

Put in on a bright, breezy afternoon, the world champion hosts were restricted to 111 for eight off their allotted 20 overs with the tourists knocking off the runs with almost three overs to spare to extend their T20 winning streak over their rivals to four following a 3-0 sweep in the United Arab Emirates last September.

Shoaib Malik’s 38 and a 46-run fourth-wicket partnership with Babar Azam ensured Pakistan reached their target with relative comfort, although they will be again concerned about the top order’s inability to take control of a modest challenge.

Brought on as the fifth bowler when the West Indies batted in what looked like ideal conditions, 18-year-old Shadab’s mesmerising mixture of leg-breaks and googlies earned him figures of three for seven, the most economical ever in the history of T20 international cricket by a debutant in a complete four-over spell.

West Indies only managed to get into three figures thanks to an unbeaten 34 from captain Carlos Brathwaite. He dominated a 37-run eighth-wicket partnership with fellow-Barbadian Jason Holder, who was dismissed off the last delivery of the innings.

Shadab removed opening batsman and wicketkeeper Chadwick Walton and dangerous middle-order strokeplayer Lendl Simmons in his first over before adding the scalp of Sunil Narine in his second.

For all the struggles they faced against Pakistan’s talented and varied bowling attack, the home side’s troubles started when Evin Lewis was run out in the third over of the match by Ahmed Shehzad’s direct hit from 40 metres out as the batsman attem­pted to complete a second run.

Marlon Samuels was unfortunate to be adjudged leg-before to Pakistan’s other slow bowler, Imad Wasim. Thereafter it was a combination of impatience and poor shot selection which the visitors capitalised upon.

An all-rounder in the mould of fellow-Jamaican Andre Russell, who is now serving a one-year suspension from the game, Powell was trapped leg-before by Hasan Ali in the midst of the batting slide that effectively killed off any chance of the home side being competitive.

Scoreboard

WEST INDIES:

E. Lewis run out 10C.A.K. Walton lbw b Shadab 18M.N. Samuels lbw b Imad 7L.M.P. Simmons b Shadab 1K.A. Pollard c Imad b Wahab 14S.P. Narine c Imad b Shadab 1R. Powell lbw b Hasan 5C.R. Brathwaite not out 34J.O. Holder c Hafeez b Sohail 14

EXTRAS (LB-3, W-3, NB-1) 7

TOTAL (for eight wkts, 20 overs) 111

FALL OF WKTS: 1-13, 2-35, 3-37, 4-38, 5-42, 6-69, 7-74, 8-111.

DID NOT BAT: S. Badree, K.O.K. Williams.

BOWLING: Imad Wasim 3-0-12-1; Mohammad Hafeez 1-0-8-0; Sohail Tanvir 4-0-21-1 (1nb, 1w); Hasan Ali 4-0-25-1; Shadab Khan 4-0-7-3; Wahab Riaz 4-0-35-1 (2w).

PAKISTAN:

Kamran Akmal c Lewis b Badree 22Ahmed Shehzad c Walton b Holder 13Babar Azam c Powell b Holder 29Mohammad Hafeez c and b Brathwaite 5Shoaib Malik not out 38Sarfraz Ahmed not out 4

EXTRAS (W-3, NB-1) 4

TOTAL (for four wkts, 17.1 overs) 115

FALL OF WKTS: 1-25, 2-40, 3-45, 4-95.

DID NOT BAT: Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Sohail Tanvir, Wahab Riaz, Hasan Ali.

BOWLING: Badree 4-0-24-1 (1w); Holder 3.1-0-27-2; Narine 4-0-22-0; Brathwaite 3-0-18-1; Williams 2-0-14-0 (1nb, 1w); Pollard 1-0-10-0.

RESULT: Pakistan won by six wickets to lead four-match series 1-0.

UMPIRES: G.O. Brathwaite (West Indies) and J.S. Wilson (West Indies).

TV UMPIRE: N. Duguid (West Indies).

MATCH REFEREE: J.J. Crowe (New Zealand).

MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Shadab Khan.

Published in Dawn, March 27th, 2017