Brighto Paints/Q-Mobile ODI series...Miraculous win give wonderful Windies 1-nil lead

Brighto Paints/Q-Mobile ODI series…Miraculous win give wonderful Windies 1-nil lead

Apr 08, 2017 Sports

After achieving highest run chase on new pitch

By Sean Devers
A combination of Guyana’s economic decline and the poor showing of the West Indies without their big name players who opted to play in the IPL, resulted in the smallest crowd being present to watch an ODI in Guyana, but those who turned up yesterday at Providence saw a fantastic battle as West Indies beat Pakistan by four-wicket in a stunning run-chase in the first ODI to take a 1-nil lead in the three-match series.
Chasing 309 to win, 30-year-old Jason Mohamed played the innings of life finishing unbeaten on a magnificent 91 from just 58 balls with 11 fours and three sixes as West Indies saved their highest ever run chase for yesterday as they reached 309-6 with six balls to spare in a game in which 617 runs were scored on a pitched being used for the first time in any game.
The game produced only the third 300 total in 34 ODIs at Providence and two of them were made yesterday in a dramatic finish with the home team looking dead and buried at 158-4 in 34th over when Shai Hope (24) was stumped to give debutant 18-year-old leg-spinner Shadab Khan his first ODI wicket.
Mohamed, in only his fifth ODI, blasted his way to his third half-century to ensure his team snatched a memorable win from the jaws of defeat. He did not do it alone as Ashley Nurse followed up his 4-62 with a pugnacious unbeaten 34 from just 15 balls with five fours and a six in an unfinished 50-run sixth wicket stand with Mohamed which made the impossible possible.
An attacking 61 from 86 balls with five fours from Kieran Powell, 47 from Evin Lewis which lasted 63 balls and included three fours and two sixes, and a fighting 24 from Hope offered fight but many felt the task of chasing down the total was just too big, even on a beautiful batting track and fast outfield.
Ahmed Shehzad stroked six fours in an 83-ball 63 and added 85 for the first wicket with Kaman Akmal who made 47 from 48 balls with five fours and three sixes before Mohammad Hafeez, who hit six fours and three sixes from 92 balls in his 88 and Shoaib Malik who scored a blistering 38-ball 53 decorated with six fours and two sixes, added 89 for the fourth wicket to spearheaded Pakistan to 308-5 from 50 overs before the sensational fight-back commenced.
In sultry conditions, Pakistan were inserted on a track that Regional Curator St Lucian Kent Crafton and Providence’s Head Grounds man Wasim Habib predicted would be a 250 pitch and must be two of happiest men as it was a big risk of having an International game as the first ever match to be played on a pitch.
Under blue skies, Akmal stroked Shannon Gabriel elegantly to the boundary and a free hit disappeared over the mid-wicket boundary to take him into double figures in the second over before Nurse at slip grassed a difficult chance over his head to let off Shehzad on two off Alzarri Joseph in the third over.
Shehzad rubbed salt into the wound with a couple of imperiously struck boundaries off Joseph before Akmal rocked back and creamed Gabriel for a bullet-like boundary behind point.
Shehzad swiveled and pulled Joseph magnificently for four, while Akmal deposited Mohamed for six and flicked Joseph for four to post the 50 partnership off 56 balls.
Akmal swept Mohamed for a couple of boundaries, while Shehzad took a liking to him and murdered him to the cover boundary off the back foot.
Pakistan were scoring freely on the vastly improved relayed surface when skipper Jason Holder struck in the 15th over by removing Akmal three short of his 10th ODI fifty with the score on 85-1.
Devendra Bishoo, the only Guyanese in the squad was introduced after 17 overs and Mohammad Hafeez lofted him for six to post the 100 in 19.1 overs.
A boundary off Gabriel brought up the 14th half-century by Shehzad from 68 balls with six fours and along with Hafeez, who slug-swept Bishoo for four, carried the score to 149 before Shehzad was bowled by Nurse in the 28th over to bring Babar Azam to the crease.
With the score on 177, Azam (13) swept Nurse to Joseph at square-leg in the 36th over and Hafeez pulled Gabriel for four and hit Nurse for a couple off boundaries to post his fifty from 68 balls three fours and a six. A six from Hafeez off the last ball of the 38th over brought up the 200.
Malik (6) flicked Holder to square-leg where Gabriel floored a sitter before Malik clobbered him for six, while Nurse removed Hafeez 12 short of his 12th ODI ton to leave the visitors on 266-4. Malik launched into Holder and hammered him for two fours and six in the 47th over to post his 39thhalf century at this level before he fell to Nurse at 285-5.
Safraz Ahmed hit two fours in an unbeaten 20 from 13 balls to ensure that 92 runs were scored in the last 10 overs.
The small crowd which included several school children watched as Chadwick Walton (7) was removed by Mohammad Amir at 23-1, but Lewis got going with two boundaries off Hasan Ali before hitting him into the Green Stand, while Powell cracked Amir for four as West Indies began their run chase in positive fashion.
Lewis raced to 47 with effortless six off Hafeez but was bowled next ball to break the promising 68-run stand and leave West Indies on 91-2 in 21.4 overs, while Powell lofted Malik for four and swept Khan for another boundary.
Hope deposited Malik for six before Powell, who scored three centuries in this year’s Regional Super50, walloped Amir for four to post his 8th ODI fifty and first since returning from his self imposed exile.
But he pushed a slower ball from Wahab Riaz to mid-off to leave the Windies on 156-3 in the 33rd over to end the 65-run stand and when Hope was dismissed it seemed all hope was gone.
But Mohamed had other ideas and his Man-of-the-Match innings produced plenty of entertainment for the crowd which had increased towards the end. Although he lost Jonathon Carter (14) and Holder (11) Mohamed played an array of scintillating shots and the rest is now history.
Winner of Digicel’s facebook coin toss competition, 32-year-old Uttamkumar Isurdeen, who damaged his spine in an accident, witnessed the toss in his Wheel Chair. He was accompanied in the Red Stand by his wife and his son.
The next ODI is set for tomorrow and Pakistan will be desperate to level the series in front of what is anticipated to be a capacity crowd.