Pakistan reached the
World Cup semifinal for the 6th time with a crushing 10-wicket victory against the
West Indies at
Sher-e-Bangla National stadium in Mirpur on Wednesday.
Openers
Mohammad Hafeez and
Kamran Akmal remained unbeaten on 61 and 47 respectively as Pakistan chased down the 113-run target in 20.5 overs in the first quarterfinal.
Pakistan will meet the winner of the
India-Australia quarterfinal clash.
Earlier, skipper
Shahid Afridi led from the front with four wickets as Pakistan bundled out West Indies for a paltry 112 in 43.3 overs.
Afridi finished with impressive figures of 4/30 after Mohammad Hafeez's two early wickets pushed West Indies on the backfoot at the start of the innings before folding up for their third lowest World Cup total.
Umar Gul and Saeed Ajmal, too, figured amongst the wickets.
West Indies skipper Darren Sammy's decision to bat first after winning the toss backfired badly as the two-time former champions were reduced to 16/3 by the sixth over, with the dangerous Chris Gayle back in the pavilion. Spearhead Gul gave Pakistan a dream start when he had Gayle caught at mid-off by none other than the skipper himself.
If losing Gayle so early was not bad enough, West Indies were dealt another body blow as the left-hander's opening partner, Devon Smith, was trapped in front by Hafeez.
Hafeez was at the thick of things again when he had Darren Bravo caught plumb in front.
West Indies looked completely out of sorts against the guile and variation of the opposition bowlers, especially Hafeez, who picked up two wickets while conceding just 12 runs in his first spell of eight overs, which also had three maidens.
Afridi seemed pro-active in his approach and was looking for wickets at all costs, and at all times.
The skipper was in no mood to let go of the early advantage and therefore replaced first-change bowler Wahab Riaz after the left-arm seamer went wicket-less in his first three overs.
Afridi's move paid dividends as he broke the 42-run partnership between Ramnaresh Sarwan (24) and Shivnarine Chanderpaul (44 not out), the biggest of the innings.
Sarwan and Chanderpaul tried to steady the ship with a dodgy stand, but the duo's effort proved to be insufficient in the prevailing circumstances.
Sarwan, while trying to break the shackles after consuming 68 deliveries, found Umar Akmal at Gully, giving Afridi his Sarwan always looked in trouble against the Pakistani skipper and the leg-spinner could have had the West Indian had Gul not dropped an easy chance at widish long-off in his second over.
Bowling his fast, attacking leg-spinners to deadly effect, Afridi then had Kieron Pollard caught behind and followed that up with the wicket of Devon Thomas in the next ball.
Thomas' scalp was Afridi's 19th of the tournament, a Pakistani record. Wasim Akram (with 18 wickets in the 1992 edition in Australia and New Zealand) held the previous record.
Sammy survived the hat-trick ball but the damage was done by that time.
Ajmal joined the party by dismissing Sammy and Devendra Bishoo to make it 71/6.
Chanderpaul added 40 valuable runs with number ten Kemar Roach to take his team past the 100-run mark before Abdul Razzaq cut short the tail-ender's valiant innings.
Chanderpaul, for all his patience and doggedness at the crease, could not save his team from slipping further. The experienced left-hander remained unbeaten on 44 but gobbled up 106 deliveries to score his runs.
Chanderpaul's pain-staking knock typified West Indies' display with the bat. They could manage just 18 runs for the loss of three wickets in the mandatory powerplay, and were 36, though without further damage, at the end of the 15th over.
Scorecard
West Indies 112 (43.3 ov)
Pakistan 113/0 (20.5 ov)
Pakistan won by 10 wickets (with 175 balls remaining)
| | | | | | | |
| West Indies innings
| R | M | B | 4s | 6s | SR |
| DS Smith | lbw b Mohammad Hafeez | 7 | 25 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 50.00 |
| 5.1 West Indies are wobbling here. If they don't take care, they would land in complete chaos soon. This one came in with the arm, as most Hafeez deliveries do, but West Indies are yet to figure him out. Smith was caught at the crease and he poked outside the line. Pretty clueless and the ball nailed him in front of the middle. Looked dead plumb. 16/2 |
| CH Gayle | c Shahid Afridi b Umar Gul | 8 | 12 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 88.88 |
| 2.5 142.4 kph, Gul takes out Gayle. And he jumps in joy. It was a full length delivery around off; Gayle backed outside leg and went for his powerful lofted hit. He didn't get the elevation and the ball screamed to right of mid-off where who else but Shahid Afridi pouches it. Now then.. huge pressure on this West Indies team. How will they respond? 14/1 |
| RR Sarwan | c Umar Akmal b Shahid Afridi | 24 | 92 | 68 | 2 | 0 | 35.29 |
| 24.1 93.0 kph, all over. Afridi has threatened to dismiss Sarwan right from the word go, and ends up getting him on the square drive. This time Sarwan doesn't jump out. Afridi keeps it full and a little wide of off stump, but importantly gets bounce out of the turf, and that did the trick. Sarwan went for the on the up square drive, but could not keep the shot down. The extra bounce meant, he carved it straight at Umar Akmal standing at point. West Indies are going nowhere. 58/4 |
| DM Bravo | lbw b Mohammad Hafeez | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| 5.4 Bravo has been given out lbw and Windies go for review. Another one of those straighter ones from Hafeez. It landed full on a length on the off stump line and drifted in towards the leg stump line. Bravo was pushing way outside the line. Again, no clue about Hafeez's strength. That would have hit the leg stump. He is gone and West Indies are in disarray now. 16/3 |
| S Chanderpaul | not out | 44 | 156 | 106 | 0 | 1 | 41.50 |
| |
| KA Pollard | c †Kamran Akmal b Shahid Afridi | 1 | 9 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14.28 |
| 26.4 86.1 kph, the moment of truth has come. Pollard has gone. He's not the best players of spin. And sure not the best player of the best legspinner in the ODI format now. It would have required a miracle to see him come out of this unscathed. The only miracle in that dismissal was that Kamran held a sharp chance. It was the patent Afridi quicker one, delivered from a foot wide of the stumps, comes in with the angle, darts in on a length and hurries through without deviating much outside off. Pollard went for an ill-advised cut and got an inner edge. Kamran pouched and appealed hard. It was eventually given, and Pollard trudges away. 69/5 |
| DC Thomas | lbw b Shahid Afridi | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| 26.5 87.9 kph, in and out. West Indies are not even referring them. Afridi sends down a trademark thunderbolt, meaner, faster, straighter and bouncier than the previous one. In less than a twinkling, it was across the turf, skidding past Thomas' backfoot defensive, pinning him in front of middle and leg. I can't believe they did not refer it, might have been worth a try. Afridi on a hat-trick. 69/6 |
| DJG Sammy | lbw b Saeed Ajmal | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 33.33 |
| 27.2 86.0 kph, just like that. The West Indian captain has no answer to a delightful doosra that makes him look like a novie. Ajmal drifts it in towards off and then gets it to bite and nip away from a length. Sammy pokes away from the crease, completely befuddled by the brilliance of the ball and is struck on the crease, in front of middle. The umpire's finger went up almost before Pakistan appealed. 71/7 |
| D Bishoo | b Saeed Ajmal | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| 27.5 83.7 kph, West Indies are being Pakistunned here. Or should I say Paki-spun. Ajmal slips in another doosra from round the wicket. Bishoo did most things right, he leaned as far out as possible to cover the line and smother the spin. Clearly he wasn't picking the turn, but on this occasion, he did not pick the flight either. It landed a few inches short of his front foot and whizzed through the bat-pad gap to hit the stumps. 71/8 |
| KAJ Roach | c Younis Khan b Abdul Razzaq | 16 | 60 | 43 | 2 | 0 | 37.20 |
| 42.2 131.1 kph, 111 strikes, if you believe in those things. Roach, who batted so serenely, suddenly went for the slog over mid-on but dragged it to Younis at midwicket 111/9 |
| R Rampaul | b Shahid Afridi | 0 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| 43.3 80.7 kph, Googly that landed outside leg stump, very full in length, Ravi went for the sweep, missed and the leg stump was pegged back. Afridi ends up with a four-for. West Indies have been rolled out for 112. 112/10 |
| Extras | (lb 2, w 7, nb 2) | 11 |
|
| |
|
|
| | | | | |
|
| Total | (all out; 43.3 overs; 188 mins) | 112 | (2.57 runs per over) |
| Fall of wickets1-14 (Gayle, 2.5 ov), 2-16 (Smith, 5.1 ov), 3-16 (Bravo, 5.4 ov), 4-58 (Sarwan, 24.1 ov), 5-69 (Pollard, 26.4 ov), 6-69 (Thomas, 26.5 ov), 7-71 (Sammy, 27.2 ov), 8-71 (Bishoo, 27.5 ov), 9-111 (Roach, 42.2 ov), 10-112 (Rampaul, 43.3 ov) |
| | | | | | | |
|
| Bowling | O | M | R | W | Econ |
|
|
| Umar Gul | 7 | 1 | 13 | 1 | 1.85 | |
|
| 2.5 to Gayle, 142.4 kph, Gul takes out Gayle. And he jumps in joy. It was a full length delivery around off; Gayle backed outside leg and went for his powerful lofted hit. He didn't get the elevation and the ball screamed to right of mid-off where who else but Shahid Afridi pouches it. Now then.. huge pressure on this West Indies team. How will they respond? 14/1 |
| Mohammad Hafeez | 10 | 3 | 16 | 2 | 1.60 | (2w) |
|
| 5.1 to Smith, West Indies are wobbling here. If they don't take care, they would land in complete chaos soon. This one came in with the arm, as most Hafeez deliveries do, but West Indies are yet to figure him out. Smith was caught at the crease and he poked outside the line. Pretty clueless and the ball nailed him in front of the middle. Looked dead plumb. 16/2 5.4 to Bravo, Bravo has been given out lbw and Windies go for review. Another one of those straighter ones from Hafeez. It landed full on a length on the off stump line and drifted in towards the leg stump line. Bravo was pushing way outside the line. Again, no clue about Hafeez's strength. That would have hit the leg stump. He is gone and West Indies are in disarray now. 16/3 |
| Wahab Riaz | 6 | 0 | 29 | 0 | 4.83 | (1nb, 2w) |
|
| |
| Shahid Afridi | 9.3 | 1 | 30 | 4 | 3.15 | (1w) |
|
| 24.1 to Sarwan, 93.0 kph, all over. Afridi has threatened to dismiss Sarwan right from the word go, and ends up getting him on the square drive. This time Sarwan doesn't jump out. Afridi keeps it full and a little wide of off stump, but importantly gets bounce out of the turf, and that did the trick. Sarwan went for the on the up square drive, but could not keep the shot down. The extra bounce meant, he carved it straight at Umar Akmal standing at point. West Indies are going nowhere. 58/4 26.4 to Pollard, 86.1 kph, the moment of truth has come. Pollard has gone. He's not the best players of spin. And sure not the best player of the best legspinner in the ODI format now. It would have required a miracle to see him come out of this unscathed. The only miracle in that dismissal was that Kamran held a sharp chance. It was the patent Afridi quicker one, delivered from a foot wide of the stumps, comes in with the angle, darts in on a length and hurries through without deviating much outside off. Pollard went for an ill-advised cut and got an inner edge. Kamran pouched and appealed hard. It was eventually given, and Pollard trudges away. 69/5 26.5 to Thomas, 87.9 kph, in and out. West Indies are not even referring them. Afridi sends down a trademark thunderbolt, meaner, faster, straighter and bouncier than the previous one. In less than a twinkling, it was across the turf, skidding past Thomas' backfoot defensive, pinning him in front of middle and leg. I can't believe they did not refer it, might have been worth a try. Afridi on a hat-trick. 69/6 43.3 to Rampaul, 80.7 kph, Googly that landed outside leg stump, very full in length, Ravi went for the sweep, missed and the leg stump was pegged back. Afridi ends up with a four-for. West Indies have been rolled out for 112. 112/10 |
| Saeed Ajmal | 8 | 1 | 18 | 2 | 2.25 | (1w) |
|
| 27.2 to Sammy, 86.0 kph, just like that. The West Indian captain has no answer to a delightful doosra that makes him look like a novie. Ajmal drifts it in towards off and then gets it to bite and nip away from a length. Sammy pokes away from the crease, completely befuddled by the brilliance of the ball and is struck on the crease, in front of middle. The umpire's finger went up almost before Pakistan appealed. 71/7 27.5 to Bishoo, 83.7 kph, West Indies are being Pakistunned here. Or should I say Paki-spun. Ajmal slips in another doosra from round the wicket. Bishoo did most things right, he leaned as far out as possible to cover the line and smother the spin. Clearly he wasn't picking the turn, but on this occasion, he did not pick the flight either. It landed a few inches short of his front foot and whizzed through the bat-pad gap to hit the stumps. 71/8 |
| Abdul Razzaq | 3 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1.33 | (1w) |
|
| 42.2 to Roach, 131.1 kph, 111 strikes, if you believe in those things. Roach, who batted so serenely, suddenly went for the slog over mid-on but dragged it to Younis at midwicket 111/9 |
| | |
| | | | |
| Pakistan innings (target: 113 runs from 50 overs) | R | M | B | 4s | 6s | SR |
| Kamran Akmal | not out | 47 | 88 | 61 | 7 | 0 | 77.04 |
| |
| Mohammad Hafeez | not out | 61 | 88 | 64 | 10 | 0 | 95.31 |
| |
| Extras | (lb 4, w 1) | 5 |
| | | | |
| |
| | | | |
| Total | (0 wickets; 20.5 overs; 88 mins) | 113 | (5.42 runs per over) |
| Did not bat Asad Shafiq, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq, Umar Akmal, Abdul Razzaq, Shahid Afridi*, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Saeed Ajmal |
| | | | | | | | |
| Bowling | O | M | R | W | Econ | | |
| KAJ Roach | 5.5 | 0 | 39 | 0 | 6.68 | | |
| |
| R Rampaul | 5 | 1 | 28 | 0 | 5.60 | (1w) | |
| |
| D Bishoo | 5 | 1 | 24 | 0 | 4.80 | | |
| |
| DJG Sammy | 5 | 1 | 18 | 0 | 3.60 | | |
| |
| Match details |
|
| Player of the match Mohammad Hafeez (Pakistan) |
|
No comments:
Post a Comment