Bishoo spins West Indies to series win

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Mushfiqur Rahim and Shakib Al Hasan were dismissed after scoring half-centuries on the fifth morning•AFP

Devendra Bishoo spearheaded West Indies’ victory march on the final day in Mirpur with his maiden five-for, to deliver a confidence-boosting series success ahead of a tougher assignment in India. Mushfiqur Rahim was Bangladesh’s big hope, calmly guiding his team in his first Test series as captain, but was let down by his experienced partners, who succumbed to their attacking instincts instead of controlling them. When Mushfiqur fell shortly before lunch, done in by a ripper of a legbreak from Bishoo, a West Indies win became a formality, and they wrapped it up quickly after the break.

Smart stats

  • West Indies’ 229-run win is their fourth victory in eight Tests against Bangladesh. Their two losses came in 2009, when they fielded a weakened side in the home series.

  • The defeat is Bangladesh’s 29th in 35 home Tests. Their solitary win was against Zimbabwe in Chittagong in 2005.

  • Devendra Bishoo’s 8 for 152 is the best match figures by a West Indian spinner in an away or neutral Test since Lance Gibbs’ 9 for 143 against India in Mumbai in 1975.

  • Darren Bravo’s 195 is ninth on the list of top scores by West Indian batsmen in the subcontinent. Chris Gayle is on top, with his 333 against Sri Lanka in 2010.

  • Fidel Edwards’ 5 for 63 is his 11th five-wicket haul in Tests. He now has 149 wickets in 48 Tests at an average of 36.47.

The recklessness of Bangladesh’s top-order batsmen will continue to raise questions about their ability to bat for long durations. Their performances were characterised by bursts of attractive strokeplay, which brought quick runs but also betrayed a lack of responsibility and an inadequate grasp of the situation. Tamim had batted with caution on the fourth day after surviving two close calls and being reprimanded by Raqibul Hasan. In the third over on the fifth day, however, Tamim stepped out to Bishoo, who was turning the ball in from the rough, and tried to drive over extra cover; instead, he edged to slip. With a hundred there for the taking on a largely unthreatening track, and the prospect of a draw still alive, he threw away his wicket.In contrast, Mushfiqur seemed unshakeable at the other end. He worked the ball around, used his wrists, was committed to playing along the ground and was prompt in dispatching the bad deliveries. He reached forward to ease Fidel Edwards through the covers to bring up his half-century and drove a full ball from Bishoo elegantly past mid-off. But, in the dying moments of the morning session, Mushfiqur was bamboozled by Bishoo’s quicker legbreak, which was fired in and spat away to beat his defence and take off stump.West Indies bowled their fair share of tripe, and Shakib’s first three boundaries were all off long hops. But there was also risk in his approach. Too often Shakib tried to sweep from the rough outside off stump, almost holed out while trying to clear mid-off, and while he reached his half-century with a pull off Fidel Edwards, West Indies sensed an opportunity throughout his stay at the crease. It wasn’t too big a surprise then, when an attempt to paddle Darren Sammy produced a top edge and another wicket.Bishoo was expected to play a prominent role on the final day but the turn and bounce was by no means alarming. He managed to derive more turn and bite from the track than any of the other spinners in this game, and his variations in length and pace, together with the googly, proved too much for the lower order. Attacking with four close-in catchers after lunch, he trapped Nasir Hossain lbw with a wrong ‘un, Naeem Islam with a straighter one, and had Suhrawadi Shuvo caught at slip to complete his five-for. Kemar Roach then slipped one past Rubel Hossain’s defences to give West Indies their first away series win since 2003.The win was set up by some significant individual achievements – Kirk Edwards’ century and 86 in this game, Darren Bravo’s maiden hundred, Bishoo’s first five-for and an incisive spell from Fidel Edwards in the first innings. Bangladesh, meanwhile, were left to rue the lack of discipline in their batting, that cost them a Test and a series they could have saved.

Administrator Cam Battersby dies at 76

Cam Battersby, the former Australian team manager and chairman of Queensland Cricket, has died at the age of 76.Battersby was the team manager on Australia’s historic tour of South Africa in 1994, the first time in nearly 30 years that an Australia team had toured there. He also managed tours of Sri Lanka, Pakistan, India and New Zealand.A board member of the then Australian Cricket Board from 1987 to 2002, Battersby was also the chairman of Queensland Cricket from 1993 to 2000. A doctor, Battersby was in 2000 awarded the a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for his services to medicine, especially in education and research into liver transplants, and for his services to cricket administration.”Cam was a stickler for detail, a composed figure who thought deeply about issues and acted in the best interests of cricket during his lengthy time in office,” the Queensland Cricket chairman Jim Holding said. “He had a soft spot for the game in India and Sri Lanka, and kept close ties with friends in both countries.”

Stanford's absence a loss to West Indies – Roberts

Andy Roberts and Curtly Ambrose, the two greatest fast bowlers to emerge from Antigua, believe that the demise of Allen Stanford’s cricket empire in the Caribbean has left an irreplaceable void in their own home country, the island which served as a base for his operations for 18 years.Almost three years have elapsed since the Stanford ground in Antigua played host to one of the most extraordinary nights in the history of Caribbean cricket, when a team led by Chris Gayle beat Kevin Pietersen’s England in a contest that was worth US$1 million for every member of the victorious West Indies XI.Even as Gayle took receipt of the winners’ cheque, however, the cracks in Stanford’s enterprise were appearing. When England were next in the country, during their Test series in the spring of 2009, his bank was found to be at the centre of what US financial regulators described as a “fraud of shocking magnitude”, with queues around the block as investors scrambled desperately to retrieve what was left of their funds.The financial situation in Antigua has been bleak ever since, because Stanford had been a direct employer of some 430 of the country’s 85,000 citizens. But in a wider cultural sense, the loss to West Indies cricket has been every bit as damaging, given how many hopes he had built up through his lucrative inter-island Twenty20 tournament (the first event to capitalise on the extraordinary marketability of the short-form game) and how much glamour his involvement had reintroduced to a sport whose lustre of the 1970s and 80s had been fading.”His end of his involvement has been a loss to West Indies cricket in terms of the facilities, and the rewards he brought to some of the players,” Roberts told ESPNcricinfo. “Stanford is partly responsible for what is happening in world cricket today in terms of where Twenty20 is concerned. If he hadn’t put that amount into it, the Indian board wouldn’t have put so much money into IPL.”Both Ambrose and Roberts were paid as ambassadors of the Stanford brand – the so-called Stanford “Legends”, a group which included their fellow Antiguan greats Sir Viv Richards and Richie Richardson. But even allowing for the personal benefits they enjoyed through their association with Stanford, and regardless of the methods by which it is alleged he made his money, both men were able to recognise the extent to which his largesse had benefited the sport.”He left a big hole, to be honest,” said Ambrose. “The excitement was coming back, the fans were coming out, it was a stepping stone, and you were starting to see a resurgence in West Indies cricket. That was through Stanford. He had the money, he had a plan and it was working. But we all know what happened next.”This week, Stanford’s legacy will be on display as a pair of unpopular Twenty20 matches at The Oval, drawn up to fulfil the ECB and WICB’s contractual obligations to Sky, and set to be contested by two teams lacking many of their big names through injury, rest, and the competing demands of the Champions League in India. The ever-worsening relationship between the board and WIPA, the players’ association, has also been exacerbated by the void created after his funding tap had been turned off.”Since he left the scene, West Indies cricket has gone back to the way it was, and nothing is happening at the moment,” said Ambrose. “It is really, really sad to see what has happened, and the cricket gets worse every day, with the board’s impasse with WIPA. If we love cricket the way we say we do, and it was one of the reasons why we got involved [as ambassadors], we’ll find a way to bring West Indies cricket back to a certain level.”Even as Gayle took receipt of the winners’ cheque, however, the cracks in Stanford’s enterprise were appearing•AFP

However, the current situation leaves Roberts despairing of cricket in his region. “[This week’s] games are meaningless,” he said. “To be honest, I do not think we are getting what we deserve as far as a competitive West Indies team is concerned. Only half of the players are worthy of representing West Indies, and I am speaking my mind as far as that is concerned. I don’t know if a lot of West Indians are feeling proud to represent West Indies at the moment. A lot of them are only there for the money, and there are lots of reasons why our cricket is suffering.”I was a part of the Stanford set-up for a number of years, and the money he put into West Indies cricket, it’s a great loss,” Roberts added. “I never knew what he did, and as far as I’m concerned it didn’t bother me, because what he did had no [apparent] effect on Antiguans and Antigua. But now he’s gone, the country has been suffering for two years, because of the amount of people he employed as a single employer.”For many years after his international retirement, Roberts was the groundsman at the Antigua Recreation Ground in the capital St John’s. But, by his own admission, it was Stanford’s personal ground, equidistant from his bank and the airport in the east of the island that rose to become the country’s stand-out venue. With state-of-the-art floodlights, an immaculate outfield, and a renowned on-site restaurant, Sticky Wicket, it was a venue to rival the Getty Ground at Wormsley in terms of high-class private facilities.These days, the grass is over-grown, the stands are crumbling and it exists as a living testament to the facade that Stanford’s empire turned out to be. “It’s a shame to look at the ground,” said Roberts. “It was one of the best kept grounds in the entire Caribbean. It was small and the facilities were out of this world. But we allowed it to deteriorate to such an extent that it’s going to take a lot of money to bring it back to half of what it was before.”In the meantime, the key priority for West Indies is to repay the debts left by Stanford’s departure, which includes the prospect of replicating these fixtures every season until the Sky deal runs out. “I hope the ECB can find a way to get these games off a little earlier,” said Roberts. “It’s meaningless at this time of year.”

Balcombe fights back after Durston blazes ton

ScorecardWes Durston enjoyed another memorable day in the best season of his career ashome side Derbyshire dominated the opening day of the County Championshipmatch against Kent.Durston raced to his third century of the summer from only 101 balls but fellto David Balcombe who produced an inspired spell of 4 for 4 in 24 ballsafter tea. Opener Matt Lineker scored 71 in his second Championship game and shared athird-wicket stand of 176 in 33 overs with Durston after Kent had put the hostsin at Derby.The Kent bowlers failed to deliver until Balcombe roared in at the start of thefinal session, although an unbroken stand of 141 between Ross Whiteley, whoreached 71, and Jon Clare, on 76 at the close, meant Derbyshire ended the day ina strong position on 405 for 6.Kent might have expected to hold the upper hand when their bowlers got firstuse of a green-tinged pitch after heavy overnight rain delayed the start by 45minutes. Both sides were missing key players but Derbyshire’s inexperienced opening pairof Lineker and Paul Borrington survived 13 overs before Azhar Mahmood struck.Borrington, in for the injured New Zealand Test batsman Martin Guptill, fellacross a full-length ball and was lbw for eight but Lineker played patientlythrough the morning session. The 26-year-old left-hander is trying to earn a contract and made a strong case by showing sound judgement and good technique by batting for nearly four hours.After Wayne Madsen was lbw moving forward to Darren Stevens, Durston andLineker plundered a Kent attack which looked distinctly ordinary without SimonCook and James Tredwell. There were too many loose balls for the batsmen to put away and Lineker celebrated his maiden first-class half-century when he clipped Balcombe throughmidwicket for his 10th boundary.Durston has made 1,000 runs in a season for the first time this year and racedto another hundred, which included 18 fours and a swept six off Adam Riley, inthe penultimate over before tea. His second fifty had come off only 31 balls but Balcombe halted Derbyshire’s progress when Lineker edged a drive to second slip and Durston was caught behind by a diving Geraint Jones for 118. With Dan Redfern edging a pull down the leg side and Luke Sutton falling to a lifter, Kent were back in it, but Whiteley and Clare regained the initiativewith some blazing strokes.They passed Derbyshire’s record seventh-wicket stand against Kent of 105,dating back to 1926, and rattled along at seven runs an over to secure maximumbatting points before bad light spared Kent from further punishment.

North signs two-year Glamorgan deal

Marcus North, the Western Australia captain, will take his tally of English counties that he has represented to six after signing a two-year deal as Glamorgan’s overseas player.North will bring with him more than 11,000 first-class runs and replaces Alviro Petersen, the South Africa opener, who has captained Glamorgan this season. He won’t be called away on international duty having lost his Test place during the 2010-11 Ashes series.”Glamorgan are in a similar position to WA in that they are chasing success after a period without any silverware and I am really keen to take up the challenge,” North said. “My 100% priority is to WA cricket. It always has been and that will never change. The decision to take up a county contract is not one I took lightly and I would not have committed to Glamorgan unless I knew it was going to be beneficial to my role within WA cricket.”At this point in my career I want to be playing as much cricket as I can,” he added. “I have had five previous stints in English county cricket but this will be a fresh start in Cardiff under Matthew Mott and it is very exciting.”North, who scored a century on his Test debut against South Africa, has previously had spells with Derbyshire, Durham, Gloucestershire, Hampshire and Lancashire.

Laptop and hard drives stolen from Cricket Ireland

Cricket Ireland has issued an appeal after three laptops and two external hard drives went missing at the end of a game in Belfast last week.A bag containing the equipment was stolen at the end of Ireland’s one-day game against Namibia at the Civil Service club in Stormont on July 5. The equipment belonged to Ireland assistant coach and video analyst Pete Johnston and he fears crucial tactical information will be lost.”The external hard drives contain footage of our matches, with game plans for the opposition and tactics that we employ, as well as our own key performance indicators,” he said.”I had everything with me as I was preparing for our ongoing tri-series with Sri Lanka and Scotland. The footage contained on these hard drives is crucial to our success and preparation for games. It’s an accumulation of work over the past four years, and is irreplaceable. I’m appealing to anyone that finds these or is offered them for sale to get in touch with Cricket Ireland immediately.”Cricket Ireland have offered a shirt signed by the World Cup squad as a reward for any information that leads to the retrieval of the missing equipment.

Gayle ready to apologise if claims were excessive

Chris Gayle is prepared to apologise if he can’t substantiate some of the charges he made in his controversial radio interview in April, according to Wavell Hinds, the vice-president of the West Indies Players Association (WIPA).”He is prepared to answer the charges as honestly as he can and if there is a need to say sorry, I think he will say sorry,” Hinds told ESPNcricinfo. “Where he [Gayle] feels firm and has strong substance to back up his claims he will stand by them. If there are claims he has made where he has been a little excessive he is prepared to put his hand up and say sorry. In no shape or form does Chris think he is above West Indies cricket and he has stated that quite clearly to me … Where there are claims that he can substantiate totally, he can put to the board that he has been unfairly done or been disrespected, he will stand by them.””I have known Chris for many years, I know him like a brother and as a friend. He is a very humble guy and he is prepared to do what is necessary to play.”The WICB has expressed their displeasure with Gayle’s statements on that radio show in which he alleged the board had mismanaged his injury, West Indies coach Gibson had damaged Ramnaresh Sarwan’s confidence, and the board mishandled his contract talks in October 2010. It is feared that if the stalemate continues West Indies cricket might lose Gayle.Hinds, however, believes the issue will be resolved. “In my capacity as a director of the Jamaican board I had the opportunity to meet the executive of the West Indies board and we are trying to get some more answers from them on how they plan to tackle the Gayle issue. I am pretty confident we will have further discussions between the boards and also between the board and WIPA.”I am confident that Gayle will get justice. I support WIPA’s position to help players’ causes. Having said that I have to make sure I am fair and balanced. I will ensure that whatever decisions we make as WIPA impacts West Indies cricket in a positive way.”Chris Gayle was not included in the team for the first Test against India•AFP

Hinds said the WICB needed to be calm while resolving the issue. “They are the parent body and Chris is one of their charges. They have to have the father figure kind of approach. If Chris has stepped out of line in their eyes they can ask him to answer their charges but they should also be prepared to accept his side of the story. Once Gayle is prepared to accept his responsibilities as a player, they should have some form of rehabilitation that will bring Chris to where he should be given his status as a cricketing icon in West Indies cricket. We are prepared to have discussions which are pretty cordial and thrash through the issues in an open and fair platform.”The WICB and WIPA had a heated meeting on June 14, with Gayle present, which ended inconclusively, and reportedly featured an argument between WIPA president Dinanath Ramnarine and WICB chief-executive Ernest Hilaire. The board have since said they will not deal with Ramnarine, which has drawn a strong response from WIPA, who said in a release, “WICB cannot tell us who should represent the players at meetings with the WICB.” WIPA also said Ramnarine may sue Hilaire for defamation after Hilaire said Ramnarine had threatened him during the June 14 meeting.Hinds too backed Ramnarine but added that both parties should be prepared to alter their positions so that they serve cricket in the best way. “I respect Ramnarine for his position and what he has done. He is pretty knowledgeable about the issues at hand and has the skills to carry his office in the most efficient manner. He has had a few difficulties with the officers of the board; we will try to quell those differences and we can co-exist.”Of course none of us are bigger than the game of cricket. If there are any alterations to be made by any individual, be it Ramnarine or from the board, that individual should be prepared to make the necessary steps to make sure they are serving cricket in the best way.”

Crunch time for sliding Punjab

Match facts

Friday, May 6, Bangalore
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)Adam Gilchrist needs to fire for Punjab•AFP

Big picture

Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kings XI Punjab have had contrasting runs in the lead-up to Friday’s fixture, though both teams have had fewer games than most others and can be expected to spice up the race for the play-offs even more. Bangalore have won three on the trot, their batting coming good each time, whether they have been chasing or setting a target. Virat Kohli has been the backbone of those successes with the bat and with Chris Gayle in prime touch, things are looking up. A win should push them to the top four, though with five games still to play after Friday, there’s still a long way to go.Punjab, who’ve been beaten in their last three games, have struggled to contain the opposition with their bowling, while their middle order, including David Hussey and Abhishek Nayar, has underachieved. Punjab are already in a deep hole that they need to quickly climb out of, for a defeat, at a point when they are second from the bottom on the points table, could leave them needing too much out of their remaining six games to progress.

Form guide (most recent first)

Royal Challengers Bangalore: WWWLL (sixth in points table)
Kings XI Punjab: LLLWW (ninth in points table)

Team talk

Bangalore have had a week-long break ahead of the game, a long-enough period to address any niggles if there have been any. They could field the same XI that beat Pune Warriors in their previous match, with Mohammad Kaif playing ahead of Cheteshwar Pujara.David Miller, the big-hitting South Africa batsman is part of the Kings XI squad, and is an option instead of Hussey in the line-up. Piyush Chawla has been expensive with his legspin, and that too would be a worry.Predict the playing XIs for this match. Play ESPNcricinfo Team selector.

In the spotlight

Saurabh Tiwary‘s performance was one of the highlights for Mumbai Indians last season, where he formed a successful partnership with Ambati Rayudu, who continues to shine. With Bangalore, however, Tiwary is yet to hit it big on the field, though he was picked for US$1.6 million at the auctions. He’s had starts, with scores of 14, 18, 14, 7, 16* and 26 so far, and is due a longer stint.Adam Gilchrist needs to inspire his team at the top with a runaway knock, something he’s promised in the middle this season but hasn’t quite achieved. In Paul Valthaty, he has an able partner but the dominance has largely eluded him.

Prime numbers

  • Adam Gilchrist leads the sixes tally for the IPL overall, with 70. Yusuf Pathan is one behind him in the same number of games – 53.
  • Gilchrist also has the record so far for the most wicketkeeping dismissals in the IPL, with 41 in 53 games. Second to him is Dinesh Karthik with 37.

The chatter

“I wanted to bat up the order for the last three IPL seasons and this time I got the chance. I always wanted to be in the top order but I was batting at Nos. 5, 6 and 7.”

Didn't pay above the odds for Murali – Larsen

Gavin Larsen, chief executive of Cricket Wellington said that the province hadn’t “paid above the odds” to secure the services of former Sri Lanka offspinner Muttiah Muralitharan.”He was very affordable and comparable to what the other key overseas players have received in New Zealand,” Larsen told the . Wellington have signed Murali for next season’s domestic Twenty20 tournament.”He’s a really good bloke and he loves New Zealand. He’ll bring his family out and he’s really keen from a lifestyle point of view, and keen to contribute on and off the park,” Larsen added.New Zealand’s domestic Twenty20 competition will run from late December through early January. Larsen said Murali could also play a one-day or Plunket Shield game if schedules permitted.Meanwhile, Jamie Siddons, whose coaching contract with the Bangladesh national side ended after the World Cup, remains in contention to become the next coach of Wellington after Anthony Stuart vacated the role at the end of the 2010-11 season. Siddons was interviewed on Thursday by Larsen, high performance manager Robbie Kerr, board representative Mark Heisenbuttel, captain and players’ association representative Grant Elliott and New Zealand Cricket (NZC) director of cricket John Buchanan.”I’m definitely keen to talk to them again,” Siddons said. “There’s a lot of things to chat about if they want me to do the job. We obviously need to agree on terms but I’m pretty comfortable, pretty keen to do the job.”I’m waiting to see what transpires with the Australian team and the fielding coach position, but that’s a fair way off yet and I’m not putting all my eggs in that basket,” he said. Siddons was Buchanan’s assistant coach with Australia.Siddons, however, remained non-committal over Wellington’s decision to sign Murali. “That’s good … well, I hope it’s good. I’ll have to think that one through. I probably have some thoughts but I don’t want to discuss them.”It wouldn’t put me off the job but it would be nice to be in the job and have some say in those types of appointments, for sure.”Larsen, though, felt the signing of Murali ahead of the coach’s appointment would not be an issue. “I certainly hope not. I wouldn’t like to think that any new coach would balk at Murali’s name,” he said.Larsen confirmed that former England batsman Matthew Maynard, who is being linked to the post of assistant coach with India, was also interviewed in the last week.

West Indies sneak home in the rain

West Indies 154 for 4 (Simmons 76) beat Pakistan 248 for 9 (Hafeez 121, Shafiq 71) by one run – D/L
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsLendl Simmons gave West Indies’ innings vital impetus with a 70-ball 76•AFP

Dwayne Bravo cracked a vital six off Shahid Afridi in the final over before a terminal rain shower rolled across the Kensington Oval, as West Indies clawed their way to a face-saving victory in the fourth ODI against Pakistan. Chasing a reduced target of 223 in 39 overs after a Mohammad Hafeez century, West Indies were given a flying start by Lendl Simmons, who made 76 from 70 balls, but an untimely burst of wickets left them needing Bravo’s late injection of humpty to secure a one-run victory courtesy of Duckworth-Lewis.In a game punctuated by rain delays, the denouement was dramatic. West Indies had at one stage been coasting to victory, with Simmons and the recalled Ramnaresh Sarwan going steady in a 75-run stand for the third wicket, but when both men fell in the space of seven deliveries, the final overs turned into a scramble, with Bravo and Marlon Samuels struggling to get the better of a disciplined bowling attack.At 148 for 4 after 29 overs, the scores were tied on D/L. With orders ringing out from the dressing room, Bravo leant back to wallop Afridi for the decisive blow over midwicket, then blocked out two more balls before the heavens opened. The result was West Indies’ first victory over senior opposition since India’s tour of the Caribbean in June 2009, and though it arrived by an unconventional means, it was no less welcome for that fact.The final result was due reward for Simmons’ purposeful approach to the run-chase. His opening partner, Kirk Edwards, was caught behind off Junaid Khan for a golden duck, but that set-back did not impede his approach in the slightest. After a let-off from the keeper, Mohammad Salman, on 3, Simmons smashed Tanvir Ahmed over midwicket for six before repeating the dose in Tanvir’s next over, which went for 20 all told, including consecutive fours for Simmons, the first from a free hit, and an effortless flick off the pads from Darren Bravo.In the very next over, Bravo undid his good work with a rank slap to third man to give Junaid his second wicket of the innings, whereupon Sarwan arrived to embark on the partnership that should have made the game safe. He had reached 28 from 56 balls when he allowed his good work to go to waste with a limp chip to mid-off, before Simmons chased a hint of width from Tanvir and holed out to deep point. But Dwayne and the rain ensured their efforts were not in vain.Mohammad Hafeez anchored Pakistan’s innings with his second ODI hundred•Getty Images

If the defeat was harsh on any one player, it was the Man of the Match Hafeez, who confirmed his new-found reliability at the top of the order with a superbly paced 121 from 138 balls, his second ODI hundred of the year and of his career. On his watch, Pakistan posted a dominant 248 for 9, the highest total in the series to date, although it could have been more formidable still but for the wiles of Devendra Bishoo, whose legbreaks claimed 3 for 37, and applied an emergency brake to an innings that had been running away from West Indies at 210 for 3 in the 44th over.In five of his previous seven ODIs, Hafeez had made scores between 32 and 61, and he followed up with another measured anchor role. Though he had struck his third ball of the day, from Roach, through point for four, he had added just one more boundary, again from Roach, in a 40-ball 25, when the rain started falling in the 12th over. Upon the resumption, however, he lifted the tempo to good effect.Dwayne Bravo’s fourth over went for 14 runs, including the first six of the innings, before Sammy was launched over midwicket with a disdainful pull. At the other end, Shafiq bedded in to play the supporting role. He notched up just one boundary in his first 58 deliveries, a lofted swat off Sammy, having survived a tough caught-and-bowled opportunity from the previous delivery, but together with Hafeez, he scarcely put a foot wrong in a 153-run stand for the second wicket.Bravo eventually forced the breakthrough in the 39th over, when he brought up his midwicket to tempt a cross-batted stroke, and Shafiq duly obliged with a flick to long-on. Afridi promoted himself to No. 4 for a quick bash, and though he swiped a Roach beamer for four through third man, he fell one ball later to a front-foot swipe to mid-off as Roach dug the ball in.Hafeez by this stage had eased along to his century, but Bishoo ensured the gloss would be taken off the innings with three wickets in the space of six balls. The reliable Misbah-ul-Haq was bowled off the back pad for 5, before Hammad Azam’s skittish innings of 1 ended with a wipe to leg gully, one ball after Bishoo had dropped him off his own bowling. The big wicket, however, was that of Hafeez, who was bowled by a beauty that dipped and turned from leg to middle, as Pakistan slipped to 220 for 7.A pair of crass run-outs accounted for Mohammad Salman and the new boy Usman Salahuddin, but his fellow ODI debutant, Tanvir, smacked a four and two sixes in a 12-ball 18, to ensure a difficult chase lay ahead for West Indies. Nevertheless, that late loss of momentum would prove crucial in the final reckoning.

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