Pakistan suffered their second consecutive loss as they were handed a crushing 150-run defeat by the West Indies who rode on Andre Russell’s all-round show in a completely one-sided cricket World Cup match here on Saturday.
Russell smashed 42 runs of just 13 balls at the fag end of West Indies innings, hitting three fours and four sixes, after half centuries from Denesh Ramdin (51) and Lendl Simmons (50) to help his side score a challenging 310 for 6 after being put into bat.
He then grabbed three wickets for 33 runs as the West Indies bundled Pakistan out for 160 in 39 overs to post a massive win at the Hagley Oval.
Pakistan, on the other hand, dished out a listless performance in all departments of the game to slump to their second defeat in the tournament. They had >lost to arch-rivals India by 76 runs in their campaign opener on February 15.
Opting to field after winning the toss, Pakistan let the West Indies off the hook after reducing them to 28 for 2 as the Caribbeans cruised to 310 for 6 by scoring 115 runs in the final 10 overs.
Pakistan’s fielders put down four catches while their bowlers, except Mohammad Irfan (1/44) and Shahid Afridi (0/48), bled runs at nearly seven an over before their batsmen produced the worst ever start to fold up for 160.
Pakistan’s hopes of chasing the stiff target virtually ended in 3.1 overs as by then they had lost four wickets for just one run in an unbelievable show of spineless batting. The loss will put Pakistan in a difficult position to qualify for the knock-out stage from seven-team Group B.
In the process, Pakistan dished out the worst batting show ever by top four batsmen of any team in an ODI, surpassing four wickets for four runs by Canada against Zimbabwe at Port of Spain in a tri-series match.
Only Umar Akmal (59), Sohaib Maqsood (50) and Shahid Afridi (28) could give some resistance against a disciplined bowling display by the West Indians. Pacer Jerome Taylor rocked the Pakistan top-order by grabbing three wickets for 15 runs while left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn took two wickets.
Captain Jason Holder and Darren Sammy chipped in with a wicket each.
(West Indies' Denesh Ramdin plays a shot. Photo: AP)
The final scoreboard read:
West Indies- 310—6 (Denesh Ramdin 51, Lendl Simmons 50 not out, Darren Bravo 49 ret. hurt; Haris Sohail, 2—62)
Pakistan 160 all out in 39 overs (Umar Akmal 59, Sohaib Maqsood 50; Jerome Taylor 3—15, Andre Russell 3—33, Sulieman Benn 2—39)
The West Indies innings:
A whirlwind 42 not out from Andre Russell, including three sixes from a Sohail Khan over, lifted West Indies to 310 for six.
Pakistan had restricted West Indies to 195 for four after 40 overs at Hagley Oval but 115 then came off the last 10 thanks to Russell, Lendl Simmons (50) and Darren Sammy (30).
Both teams lost their opening matches with Pakistan succumbing to India in Adelaide and West Indies losing to minnows Ireland in Nelson, New Zealand.
Pakistan were not helped by some indifferent fielding and three dropped catches after their captain Misbah-ul-Haq had won the toss and elected to field.
Chris Gayle was out for four when he hooked Mohammad Irfan to fine leg where Wahab Riaz took a good running catch.
Dwayne Smith, who had been dropped off the previous ball from Irfan when he skied an attempted hook to Nasir Jamshed at third man, rarely looked comfortable and he was soon dismissed for 23 edging Sohail to Haris Sohail at second slip.
Darren Bravo and Marlon Samuels set about restoring West Indies' fortunes, aided by some sloppy fielding by Pakistan.
With the total on 86 and his score on 27, Samuels survived a simple chance to Shahid Afridi at mid-wicket off left-arm pace bowler Wahab.
Play was held up for several minutes after Bravo was hit on the side of the head by a direct throw from Younus Khan when diving to complete a quick single.
The left-hander was then the beneficiary of a second missed chance by Afridi, this time at square-leg off Haris.
Irfan was the other Pakistan fielder to floor a catch when he dropped Simmons on 44 at third man.
Left-arm spinner Haris was more fortunate when Samuels (38) lofted a drive to substitute fielder Yasir Shah at long-off, who did not have to move.
Bravo reached 49 when he was forced to leave the field with an injury to his left hamstring. He was to be taken to hospital for scans.
Wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin took four boundaries off a Haris over and posted the first half-century of the innings with seven boundaries from 41 deliveries before he was caught on the boundary for 51 by Yasir off the spinner.
