MNN (Web-Desk); Pakistan kicked off their T20I series against the West Indies with a hard-fought 14-run win in the opening match held at the Central Broward Regional Park Stadium in Lauderhill on Friday.
Set a target of 179, the West Indies looked in control early on, thanks to an explosive 72-run opening stand between debutant Jewel Andrew and Johnson Charles. The duo raced to 47 without loss in the powerplay and brought up their fifty partnership by the seventh over.
However, the momentum shifted dramatically in the 12th over when Mohammad Nawaz turned the game on its head with a triple strike. He dismissed Andrew (35), Charles (35), and Motie (0) in the same over, collapsing the hosts from 72-0 to 75-3.
The collapse continued as part-timer Saim Ayub removed West Indies skipper Shai Hope (2) with his first ball, and later struck again to send back Sherfane Rutherford (11). Shaheen Afridi then claimed Roston Chase (5), while Sufiyan Muqeem bowled Romario Shepherd (12), reducing the West Indies to 164-7 by the end of their 20 overs.
Despite Jason Holder’s late heroics with an unbeaten 30 off just 12 balls and Shamar Joseph’s quick 21, the hosts couldn’t keep up with the escalating required rate, suffering their sixth straight T20I defeat.
Nawaz was the standout bowler for Pakistan, finishing with figures of 3/23, while Saim picked up 2/15. Afridi and Muqeem chipped in with one wicket each.
Earlier, after being put into bat, Pakistan posted 178-7. Openers Saim Ayub and Sahibzada Farhan gave a steady start before Farhan (14) was removed by Shamar Joseph. Saim continued confidently, adding 55 with Fakhar Zaman and bringing up his second T20I fifty. He top-scored with 57 off 38 balls (5 fours, 2 sixes) before falling to Jason Holder.
Fakhar contributed 28, while Hassan Nawaz added 24 off 18 balls. Lower-order runs from Faheem Ashraf (15), captain Salman Ali Agha (11*), and a last-ball six from Mohammad Haris (10*) pushed Pakistan to a competitive 178.
Shamar Joseph impressed with 3/35 on debut, while Akeal Hosein and Romario Shepherd picked up one wicket each.
With the win, Pakistan take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. The second T20I will be played at the same venue on Sunday.
Playing XIs:
West Indies: Johnson Charles, Shai Hope (C/WK), Jewel Andrew, Roston Chase, Sherfane Rutherford, Jason Holder, Romario Shepherd, Gudakesh Motie, Akeal Hosein, Shamar Joseph, Jediah Blades.
Pakistan: Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Haris (WK), Salman Agha (C), Hassan Nawaz, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Sufiyan Muqeem.
Series Schedule:
- 31 July – 1st T20I, Lauderhill
- 2 Aug – 2nd T20I, Lauderhill
- 3 Aug – 3rd T20I, Lauderhill
- 8 Aug – 1st ODI, Trinidad & Tobago
- 10 Aug – 2nd ODI, Trinidad & Tobago
- 12 Aug – 3rd ODI, Trinidad & Tobago
