Hussain Talat was the man of the match. (AP Photo/Shakil Adil) Hussain Talat was the man of the match. (AP Photo/Shakil Adil)
West Indies were looking like a group of players who had forgotten how to bat. They were never in the competition. Pakistan were all over them, right from the time Samuel Badree bowled the first over of the match to the time he became the last man to fall for West Indies. This is a weakened Windies team and so, them winning the match would have been a big shock. But Karachi would have probably liked to see a bit more of a match on this occassion.
Pakistan vs West Indies 1st T20I: Match Highlights
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Pakistan gets another chance to showcase its ability to host international cricket when West Indies starts a three-match Twenty20 series on Sunday in Karachi.
The southern port city had a successful dress rehearsal for the April 1-3 games when it hosted the Pakistan Super League final last week.
Although it was a domestic T20 final, several foreign players including former West Indies captain Darren Sammy, South Africa's JP Duminy and Luke Ronchi of New Zealand took part and were provided with almost presidential-like security.
Amid heavy security, the West Indies team will arrive Saturday night via Dubai.
Karachi last hosted an international game in 2009 when Sri Lanka played a test match before an attack by gunmen on its team bus in Lahore shut the door on international cricket in Pakistan. Six Pakistan policemen and two civilians were killed in that attack, and six members of the Sri Lanka team were injured.
But the Pakistan Cricket Board has accelerated its efforts to win back the confidence of overseas cricket teams in the last two years.
Lahore hosted Zimbabwe in 2015, and Sri Lanka returned in 2017.
The tour of West Indies, which will play three straight Twenty20s, is seen as another step toward the revival of full-fledged international cricket in Pakistan.
"We are very excited to play at home in Karachi, especially I am very excited to play in my home city," said Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed.
Around 6,000 security personnel will guard the area around the National Stadium, and armed guards will travel with the West Indies team from its hotel to the stadium.
"This tour is a further major step for our friends at the PCB to bring their cricket back home, and we are pleased that our players and support staff have recognized this and supported this venture," Cricket West Indies chief executive Johnny Grave said.
"We have made it very clear to the players and support staff that had personal reservations about this tour that we fully understand and respect their position."
Jason Mohammed will lead what looks a weak West Indies squad on paper with Marlon Samuels, Denesh Ramdin and Samuel Badree the most experienced players. However, there's no Chris Gayle, Jason Holder, Devendra Bishoo, Carlos Brathwaite and Shai Hope.
"On paper (the) West Indies team doesn't look strong but we have closely monitored their performances in the CPL (Caribbean Premier League) and all of them are very strong players," Sarfraz said.
West Indies was due to tour Pakistan last November but the tour was postponed due to heavy smog in Lahore.
Top-ranked T20 team Pakistan has given a chance to younger players like Asif Ali, Hussain Talat and Shaheen Afridi, who performed well in the PSL.
"For the young guys, there is nothing like playing at home," Pakistan coach Mickey Arthur said.
"I know that they have been very excited about the opportunity and I just can't wait to see the stadium full of green flags."
Sarfraz looked forward to the big home crowd.
"It's a chance for them to become a hero," he said of his teammates. "The appreciation we will get in front of home fans, we don't find it outside (Pakistan)."
With inputs from AP
Match Notes
Pakistan Innings
V Permaul(WI), H Talat(PAK) and A Ali(PAK) makes their T20I debut
Pakistan 51/1 in 5.2 overs
Mandatory Powerplay (1-6): Pakistan 56/1
Referral 1 (8.2 ovs): WI against Sarfraz Ahmed (LBW) Unsuccessful (PAK: 1, WI: 1) (Retained)
Pakistan 100/2 in 10.3 overs
Pakistan 150/3 in 16.2 overs
F Ashraf dropped on 0 by K Paul in 17.3 overs
S Malik dropped on 10 by K Paul in 17.4 overs
Pakistan 203/5 in 20.0 overs
Innings Break: Pakistan 203/5 in 20.0 overs
West Indies Innings
Mandatory Powerplay (1-6): West Indies 24/4
West Indies 51/6 in 11.6 overs
Fakhar Zaman (Getty Images)
Commentary (West Indies innings)
That ends the first game. Got a train to catch. The Windies cannot even give that excuse. To more matches to go, at the same venue, without even a day's break. Are we in for a forgettable series? Hopefully not. Join us at 1930 local (1430 GMT) for the second T20I on Monday, 2nd April, 2018. Before we take our leave, we request you to go through the other international games happening around the globe - NZ vs Eng and SA vs Aus. ADIOS! TAKE CARE!
Victorious Pakistan skipper, SARFRAZ AHMED, thanks the almighty and says that Pakistan played very good tonight. Credits Fakhar Zaman for providing a good start and then Hussain Talat and Shoaib Malik for their displays. On the performance, Sarfraz says that his message to the team was not to relax, not to take the opposition lightly and only focus on their own performance. Is excited about the young guys in the team and is looking forward to see more debutants in the remaining matches.
Windies captain, JASON MOHAMMED, feels that it was going on nicely till the last 2 overs with the ball and blames the batting totally. Puts it on bad execution of shots. For the next match, he says that one has to stay positive as a team and look to do better in the second game. Thanks the crowd for the warm reception.
HUSSAIN TALAT has been named the MAN OF THE MATCH. Credits the people for supporting him and believing that he belongs in the Pakistan unit. Stresses that he has been wishing for a long time to play for the national side. Says that he was not nervous at all and just trusted his skills.
NAJAM SETHI, PCB chief, thanks the Karachites for coming in large numbers for the game. States that it has provided the board and the team a big boost. Credits Wasim Akhtar for working day and night to get the stadium ready.
They are still getting the stage ready for the presentation. Bet no one would have expected the game to finish so early...
MOHAMMAD AMIR is giving an interview. He says that his role with the new ball is to take wickets. Add that by doing this, the opposition gets under pressure and that is what happened tonight. Further says that the wicket was very good for batting, which is why 200 were made in the first place. But under lights, if one pitches the ball up to the batsman, then he gets spongy bounce which is why Pakistan got so many wickets. On the confidence in the team, he says from the New Zealand tour, the group is gelling well as a unit. Thanks the crowd for supporting them in large numbers and feels privileged to be playing his first international game in Karachi.
Well bowled, Pakistan but tell us the truth. Didn't you feel like a net session with the ball? Or a slightly better feeling than a warm-up match. Because you were bowling against an opposition that did not turn up at all. Mohammad Amir started it with a double-wicket opening over and everyone except Faheem Ashraf got something in the wickets' column.
What to describe in this innings? Probably the fall of wickets will be self-explanatory. 6/1, 8/2, 8/3, 15/4, 27/5, 33/6 ... oh stop it. Just too average to be mentioned. No one stepped up. Way too many soft dismissals with only 3 batsmen reaching double figures. 4 ducks in the innings as well. Ouch.
Demolition. Winning by more than half the runs of one's own score and keeping 38 balls in the bank is tremendous. Absolute mockery of a contest, with the Windies registering their lowest T20I score.
13.4 H Talat to S Badree, OUT! That is the end of the match. A short ball outside off, Badree looks to pull but gets a top edge which goes high in the air. Shoaib Malik runs back from mid-wicket and takes a good catch. Permaul is absent hurt, so PAKISTAN GO 1-0 UP WITH A 143-RUN WIN. 60/9
13.3 H Talat to K Paul, Dropped short, pulled through mid on for one. 60/8
13.2 H Talat to S Badree, Outside off, edged away to third man for a run. 59/8
13.1 H Talat to K Paul, On middle, worked through the leg side for a single. 58/8
Experimentation. Hussain Talat is being given the ball.
12.6 S Malik to S Badree, SIX! Good shot. Full and outside off, Badree comes forward and whips it wide of long on for a biggie! 57/8
12.5 S Malik to S Badree, Full and outside off, Badree comes down the track and looks to flick but misses. The ball goes off his pads past the leg stump towards leg slip. 51/8
12.4 S Malik to S Badree, Quicker and shorter, outside off, punched to the off side. No hat-trick then. 51/8
Rinse. Repeat. One goes in, then goes out. Who comes in now? Everyone is waiting for the new man. The Pakistan players are looking in the direction of the Windies dugout. No one is coming! Aaahhh... someone does come. Samuel Badree. Hat-trick on the cards? He is technically the last man in as Veerasammy Permaul will not bat.
12.3 S Malik to K Williams, OUT! What is in a name? Definitely the saying is worth gold if it reads 0 in front of the name. Williams has come in, taken a good 2-3 minutes to take his guard, mark that and then do some rituals, before going for a big booming drive and edging it to first slip. Thanks for coming. 51/8
Who is next? Kesrick Williams.
12.2 S Malik to R Emrit, OUT! Given. Not convinced though, am I. But who am I to judge? Full and on off, Emrit swings this towards deep mid-wicket. Hussain Talat waits for the ball to come to him and then takes the catch. After that, he looks back like a guilty person who has done something wrong. Has he touched the rope? Hasan Ali running towards him from squarish mid-wicket signals it is out. The umpires are not sure and refer it upstairs. Replays seem to indicate that his back foot is touching the ropes. But the third umpire just sees two replays and flashes OUT on the giant screen. 51/7
Out? Or a six? Hasan Ali signals it is out. But the man who has taken the catch, Hussain Talat, is looking very sheepish. Referred upstairs...
12.1 S Malik to R Emrit, Full and outside off, pushed towards cover. 51/6
11.6 S Khan to K Paul, Hurrah! 50 IS UP FOR THE WINDIES. Some achievement. On middle, Paul whips it through square leg for a couple. 51/6
11.5 S Khan to R Emrit, Full and outside off, slogged to widish long on for a single. 49/6
11.4 S Khan to R Emrit, The googly, not picked, Rayad looks to pull but misses and is hit on the pads. 48/6
11.3 S Khan to R Emrit, The batsman manages only a bottom edge on that one. 48/6
11.2 S Khan to R Emrit, SIX! THRASH! Something to write about for the batting. the traditional leg spinner, outside off, Emrit uses the long levers and sends this sailing over mid-wicket! 48/6
11.1 S Khan to R Emrit, On middle and leg, defended watchfully. 42/6
Shadab Khan switches ends.
10.6 S Malik to K Paul, FOUR! Edged, but how has this not gone to hand? Full and outside off, Paul lunges to defend but the ball takes the outside edge. It goes past Sarfraz Ahmed but also evades Babar Azam at first slip, perfectly bisecting the two! 42/6
10.5 S Malik to R Emrit, The batsman flicks it away with a wristy shot. They pick up a single. 38/6
10.4 S Malik to K Paul, Another back foot punch, this time for a run. 37/6
10.3 S Malik to R Emrit, Punched off the back foot by the batsman. They pick up a single. 36/6
10.2 S Malik to R Emrit, Outside off, a play and a miss from Emrit. 35/6
Andre Fletcher is giving an interview now. Says that the wicket is pretty good and finds themselves unfortunate for being in such a situation. Hopes to learn from the mistakes in this game, try and finish it well and do nicely in the next one. States that it has been a memorable cricketing career for him so far and he is enjoying himself. Adds that the aim of his team was to restrict Pakistan and then chase the score but...
10.1 S Malik to R Emrit, Defended off the back foot by the batsman. 35/6
Shoaib Malik has been brought in now.
9.6 M Nawaz to K Paul, Outside off, Paul looks to cut but misses. 35/6
9.5 M Nawaz to K Paul, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. 35/6
9.4 M Nawaz to K Paul, Very full, Paul keeps it out. 35/6
9.3 M Nawaz to R Emrit, Driven through mid on by the batsman. They pick up a single. 35/6
9.2 M Nawaz to R Emrit, Outside off, punched off the back foot. 34/6
9.1 M Nawaz to R Emrit, Full and outside off, goes straight through. Emrit pushes but misses. 34/6
8.6 S Khan to R Emrit, Short and outside off, cut through point for a single. 34/6
8.5 S Khan to R Emrit, Very full outside off, nicely blocked. 33/6
8.4 S Khan to R Emrit, Very full outside off, Emrit pushes at it and gets a thick inside edge which just misses the leg stump. 33/6
8.3 S Khan to R Emrit, Around off, defended nicely. 33/6
8.2 S Khan to R Emrit, The batsman has driven it straight down the ground. 33/6
8.1 S Khan to R Emrit, Full and outside off, watchfully defended. 33/6
Rayad Emrit is the new man in. He takes a guard but the umpire is not paying attention. On seeing that, Babar Azam from first slip comes forward and helps Emrit. The Pakistan and Windies players are closely knit, as they play a lot of domestic cricket in the Caribbean and in the Middle East.
7.6 M Nawaz to M Samuels, OUT! There goes Samuels, finally. Full and outside off, Samuels looks to slog, but only gets a top edge. The ball swirls in the air but Faheem Ashraf at backward point keeps his eyes on the ball and takes it nicely. Embarrassing... 33/6
7.5 M Nawaz to M Samuels, FOUR! Pin-drop silence in the crowd. On middle, Samuels just works this through mid-wicket. There is a man in the deep but by the time he can move across, the ball meets the ropes. 33/5
7.4 M Nawaz to K Paul, The batsman has punched the ball off the back foot. They pick up a single. 29/5
7.3 M Nawaz to K Paul, Around off, pushed towards the bowler. 28/5
7.2 M Nawaz to K Paul, Defended off the back foot by the batsman. 28/5
7.1 M Nawaz to M Samuels, On middle, flicked through mid-wicket for a single. 28/5
Mohammad Nawaz is back on.
6.6 S Khan to K Paul, Outside off, very full, Keemo looks to drive but misses. 27/5
6.5 S Khan to K Paul, The batsman drives the ball straight down the ground. 27/5
Keemo Paul walks in at number 7, replacing Powell.
6.4 S Khan to R Powell, OUT! Half the side is done and dusted. The match too, as far as the Windies are concerned. On middle, Powell looks to turn this to the leg side but the ball takes the leading edge, off the toe end of the bat and lobs back to the bowler. Simple return catch. 27/5
6.3 S Khan to M Samuels, Chips this down to long on for a single. 27/4
6.2 S Khan to R Powell, Full on middle, clipped through mid-wicket for a run. 26/4
6.1 S Khan to M Samuels, Short and outside off, punched through the covers for a single. 25/4
Shadab Khan to bowl his leg spin now...
5.6 F Ashraf to R Powell, FOUR! Down the leg side, helped through mid-wicket for another rare boundary. 24/4 in the Powerplay. 24/4
5.5 F Ashraf to R Powell, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. 20/4
5.4 F Ashraf to R Powell, Defended off the back foot by the batsman. 20/4
5.3 F Ashraf to M Samuels, A short delivery which has been pulled away. One run added to the total. 20/4
5.2 F Ashraf to M Samuels, FOUR! Wow. We get to see a boundary. After that first ball six. A short ball, on middle, Samuels drags it through mid-wicket and finds the boundary. 19/4
5.1 F Ashraf to M Samuels, On a length around off, cutting back in, Samuels looks to flick but gets hit on the pads. 15/4
Faheem Ashraf is the new bowler. Another wicket on the cards?
4.6 H Ali to R Powell, Outside off, Powell looks to run it down to third man but gets a thick inside edge onto his pads. A WICKET MAIDEN for Hasan. 15/4
4.5 H Ali to R Powell, The batsman defends it from within the crease. 15/4
4.4 H Ali to R Powell, The ball is too wide on the off side for the batsman to make any contact. 15/4
4.3 H Ali to R Powell, Defended off the back foot by the batsman. 15/4
4.2 H Ali to R Powell, Full and outside off, solidly defended. 15/4
4.1 H Ali to D Ramdin, OUT! Another soft dismissal. The Windies' batsmen are giving good adverts to be a fielding coach. They are finding the fielders with so much precision. Love that. Full on middle, a nothing delivery and to counter that, Ramdin plays a nothing shot. Flicks it straight to Mohammad Nawaz at short mid-wicket. Oh dear... match over? 15/4
Hasan Ali now.
3.6 M Amir to M Samuels, The batsman has played it to the point region. 15/3
3.5 M Amir to M Samuels, Another back foot defense is what we get. 15/3
3.4 M Amir to M Samuels, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. 15/3
3.3 M Amir to M Samuels, Outside off, Marlon pushes at it and is squared up. Gets a thin outside edge which falls in front of Sarfraz Ahmed. 15/3
3.2 M Amir to M Samuels, Outside off, Samuels comes down the track and looks to push but misses. 15/3
3.1 M Amir to M Samuels, Played to the mid-wicket region by the batsman. The fielder goes for a direct hit but misses the stumps. 15/3
3.1 M Amir to M Samuels, WIDE. Full and well outside off, angling away, Samuels lets it go. 15/3
2.6 M Nawaz to D Ramdin, Defended off the front foot by the batsman presenting the full face of the bat. 14/3
2.6 M Nawaz to D Ramdin, WIDE. Down the leg side, flick shot missed. 14/3
2.5 M Nawaz to D Ramdin, Full on middle, driven straight back. 13/3
2.4 M Nawaz to D Ramdin, Full and outside off, driven back to the bowler. 13/3
2.3 M Nawaz to M Samuels, The batsman has driven that ball straight back. They pick up a single. 13/3
2.2 M Nawaz to M Samuels, FOUR! Lucky! Landed outside off, Samuels looks to flick but gets a leading edge which balloons over covers and speeds away to the boundary! 12/3
2.1 M Nawaz to M Samuels, Full and around off, pushed back to the bowler. 8/3
1.6 M Amir to D Ramdin, The batsman has punched the ball off the back foot. Scintillating over. 8/3
Denesh Ramdin walks in now, at number 5, replacing his captain.
1.5 M Amir to J Mohammed, OUT! Ctrl plus c 1.3, ctrl plus v 1.5. Jargon? Well, not exactly. It is an exact carbon copy of the Fletcher dismissal, so much so that I am getting tempted to do a copy and paste of that ball. Everything is nearly the same in both balls. The length, the line - outside off, angling away, the batsman playing a loose poke, aerially through the covers and finding Hussain Talat to perfection at cover-point. A 2-ball duck for the 3-match skipper. 8/3
1.4 M Amir to J Mohammed, The batsman gets a bottom edge of the bat on that one. 8/2
Skipper comes in now. Jason Mohammed.
1.3 M Amir to A Fletcher, OUT! Straight to the man! A length ball outside off again, Fletcher tamely pushes it through the line but hits it straight to Hussain Talat at cover-point! Soft, soft dismissal. You either go hard and over the top or play soft strokes along the ground. Nothing mid-way. 8/2
1.2 M Amir to M Samuels, A length ball outside off, Samuels slashes hard and gets a thick outside edge. The ball nearly goes all the way to third man. A single taken. 8/1
1.1 M Amir to M Samuels, Outside off, chipped aerially towards mid off. 7/1
1.1 M Amir to M Samuels, WIDE. Full and wide outside off, Samuels goes hard at that but misses. 7/1
Mohammad Amir to share the attack with Nawaz.
0.6 M Nawaz to A Fletcher, The batsman has defended it by getting right behind the line of the delivery. What an over - 6, 0, 0, W, 0, 0 - Brilliant! 6/1
0.5 M Nawaz to A Fletcher, Full and straight, pushed back to the bowler. 6/1
Marlon Samuels walks in at number 3, replacing Walton.
0.4 M Nawaz to C Walton, OUT! He is gone now. Nawaz has the last laugh. If you concede a six and then pick a wicket, not a bad deal, eh? Tossed up outside off, Walton comes down the track and looks to go over the top but is not quite to the pitch of the ball. Miscues it towards long off and Asif Ali gets a simple catch. A 6 on the first ball, followed by 3 dots... 6/1
0.3 M Nawaz to C Walton, The batsman shows the full face of the bat and defends the ball off the back foot. 6/0
0.2 M Nawaz to C Walton, A quicker ball, Chadwick looks to flick but misses and is hit on the pads. 6/0
0.1 M Nawaz to C Walton, SIX! TAKE THAT! What a start to the run chase. Short and flat, on middle, Walton goes back and pulls it over square leg! 6/0
First Published: April 1, 2018, 8:13 PM IST
