Pakistan tour of West Indies 2017

[litman]

the best thing in this ODI series that pakistan has got a good bowling combination after a long time. junaid and amir bowled brilliantly with both new and old balls. hassan was good too. spin attack comprising of shadab, imad and hafeez can always perform outstanding on any track with slight support to spinners. sohail khan is also a good fast bowler. pakistan must learn the lesson now that it is time to get rid of wahab riaz for good in shorter formats of the game. since the time he joined the team pak pace attack has become a joke with worst performance in england in which the great pace attack bowler gave 110 runs.

 

[ghazi52]

Malik ton as Pakistan down West Indies to take ODI series

PROVIDENCE, Guyana: Shoaib Malik scored an unbeaten century as Pakistan beat West Indies by six wickets to clinch victory in their one day international series in Guyana on Tuesday.

Malik sealed the win -- and his ton -- in spectacular fashion, smashing a six off West Indies captain Jason Holder to wrap up victory with nearly seven overs to spare.

Malik´s 101, which included two sixes and ten fours, was matched by an assured 81 from Mohammad Hafeez as Pakistan finished on 236 for four in reply to the home side´s 233 for nine.

"I can´t thank Hafeez enough for the way he played because he took all the pressure off me," said Malik after collecting both the "Man of the Match" and "Man of the Series" awards.

"West Indies fought hard and credit to them but this really gives us encouragement going into the Champions Trophy."

Hafeez completely dominated their partnership, his innings coming off 86 balls with two sixes and eight fours before a miscued sweep off Ashley Nurse found Veerasammy Permaul on the backward square-leg boundary.

Permaul, the left-arm spinner brought into the match at the expense of fast bowler Alzarri Joseph on a turning track, proved expensive while leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo also lacked potency in helpful conditions.

"I felt we had a decent enough total but we just couldn´t put enough pressure on Malik and Hafeez after the early breakthroughs," said Holder.

"I´ve got no regrets about the decision to bat first because I think we recovered well and should have made a better effort of defending that total."

West Indies were indebted to Shai Hope (71) and Jason Mohammed (59) after their top-order once again crumbled.

Jason Mohammed´s excellent run of form in this Caribbean season continued with a fluent 59 off 64 balls with two sixes and five fours, his fourth half-century in six ODI innings. The pair put on 101 for the fourth wicket and lifted the home side from early discomfort to a degree of competitiveness.

However they lost vital wickets in the quest for quick runs over the final overs of the innings, managing just 29 over the last five in which Ahmed resorted to his faster bowlers to good effect.

Junaid Khan, who had accounted for Evin Lewis at the start of the innings, returned to separate the pair of Hope and Jason Mohammed, having the latter caught at the wicket. Hope fell to Shadab Khan via a catch at long-on, although the leg-spinner endured the most expensive effort of his young international career, conceding 57 runs off eight overs.

Not surprisingly on a worn, turgid track used for the third consecutive match, finger spinners Imad Wasim and Hafeez were difficult for the West Indies to get away, Wasim conceding only 24 runs from his full allotment of ten overs for the wicket of Kieran Powell, who was deceived and stumped.

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The Pakistan players enjoy their series victory, West Indies v Pakistan, 3rd ODI, Providence, April 11, 2017

 

[ghazi52]

West Indies v Pakistan, 1st Test, Kingston

Debutant Abbas strikes with his second ball


Big picture

West Indies appear to be a popular side to plan a swansong against. Less than four years on from the two-Test series they played in India - more famous for being Sachin Tendulkar's last series than anything else - Pakistan's Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan have decided they, too, will bid farewell to international cricket once the upcoming three Tests against Jason Holder's men are concluded.

As such, the focus is largely on the visiting side, and the statistical minutiae of what the pair might be able to do over these three games. When will Younis complete 10,000 Test runs? Will Misbah finally reverse a trend that has seen Pakistan lose six Test matches in a row, a run that began against these very opponents in Sharjah last year? Will Pakistan finally win their maiden Test series in the Caribbean? Heck, will Younis stick to his retirement decision this time?

There isn't any such context or grand meaning to the West Indies angle. At best, they can build on a somewhat encouraging performance during the ODIs, and their younger players can polish their credentials in the longest format of the game. A series win would mark their seemingly umpteenth turnaround, a word that apparently so frustrates West Indies cricket fans Fazeer Mohammed said it had been banned right across the Caribbean.



However, what has quietly gone unnoticed while everyone vies for the most melancholic tribute to Misbah and Younis is that a decidedly second-string West Indies side dominated Pakistan during a three-day tour match. The retiring duo combined for 15 runs, while Pakistan's spin king Yasir Shah registered figures of 53-3-189-3 across both innings. The West Indies President's XI took a lead of 227 runs and came away with a fair degree more credibility than the international opposition.

Form guide

West Indies WLLDL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Pakistan LLLLL

In the spotlight


Kieran Powell looked like one of West Indies' brightest prospects when, at 22, he scored two hundreds in a Test against Bangladesh, helping his team to victory. However, he followed that with 16 innings without a half-century, and was dropped from the Test side in June 2014. He looks set to return to the fold for the first Test after a strong showing in the tour game, scoring 58 and an unbeaten 84, and could be a real asset for the hosts at the top of the order if he has managed to regain some of the form he found early on in his career.

41.60. That is what Mohammad Amir has averaged in Test cricket since his return from his five-year ban in 2016. The format that Amir called his "real comeback" back in July last year has not been as kind to him as it was to the teenage boy whose first dalliances with Tests were both mesmeric and exhilarating. Ever since his return, the format has rejected his overtures, even as it has become apparent he is trying very hard (and fielders dropping simple catches doesn't help). Some have begun calling for him to be dumped but for the moment, he is stringing along, feeling he has to fulfil his potential, as well as live up to the romanticised memories people carry of him ripping shreds off Australia and England's batting line-ups seven years ago.

Team news


West Indies have recalled Powell for the first Test, while newcomers Shimron Hetmyer and Vishaul Singh could make their debuts in a reshaped top order on the back of strong performances during the tour game. Shannon Gabriel, who struggled with a hamstring injury towards the end of the ODI series, is fit.

West Indies (possible)
1 Kraigg Brathwaite, 2 Kieran Powell, 3 Shimron Hetmyer/Shai Hope, 4 Vishaul Singh, 5 Jermaine Blackwood, 6 Roston Chase, 7 Shane Dowrich (wk), 8 Jason Holder (capt), 9 Devendra Bishoo, 10 Alzarri Joseph, 11 Shannon Gabriel

Hasan Ali will miss the first Test with a groin injury, although he is understood to be recovering well, and expected to play a part later on in the series. Left-arm spinner Mohammad Asghar could potentially make his debut, which would see him become the first player from Balochistan - Pakistan's largest province by area - play Test cricket for his country.

Pakistan (probable)
1 Azhar Ali, 2 Ahmed Shehzad, 3 Babar Azam, 4 Younis Khan, 5 Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), 6 Asad Shafiq, 7 Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), 8 Shadab Khan, 9 Mohammad Amir, 10 Wahab Riaz, 11 Yasir Shah



Pitch and conditions



Rain is expected across all five days of the Test. The Sabina Park surface has been relaid of late to enable it to become harder and faster, but the pitch has been slower over the last two decades or so.


West Indies 4/1 (2.1 over)

Pakistan won the toss and elected to field
West Indies RR 1.84

 

[ghazi52]

Amir strikes twice to shake West Indies

West Indies 55/4 (20.0 over)

West Indies RR 2.75
Last 10 ovs 28/2 RR 2.80

 

[AZADPAKISTAN2009]

All the big wait is for Younis Khan's big target and Misbah

 

[ghazi52]

West Indies 71-4 at lunch in first Test against Pakistan

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• 
  
  Kieran Powell plays a shot on day one of the first Test match between West Indies and Pakistan. —AFP
  
  
  West Indies were 71 for four batting first against Pakistan at lunch on the opening day of the first Test of the three-match series at Sabina Park in Jamaica on Friday.
  
  Earlier, Misbah-ul-Haq won the toss and opted to field against the West Indies under overcast conditions in the first test.
  
  Misbah said he's not thinking too much about his retirement after the three-test series in the Caribbean along with another veteran Younis Khan, who needs 23 runs to complete 10,000 test runs.
  
  Pakistan awarded a test debut to right-arm medium-fast bowler Mohammad Abbas, who has 244 wickets in 57 first-class matches.
  
  West Indies included two left-handed debutant batsmen from Guyana: 20-year-old Shimron Hetmyer and Vishaul Singh.
  
  West Indies has lost both the Twenty20 and one-day series against Pakistan, which is looking for its first ever test series win in the Caribbean.
  
  The Test is the 50th being staged at the Jamaica ground.
  
  
  
  
  Mohammad Abbas celebrates with teammates after dismissing Kraigg Brathwaite. —AFP
  
  
  Lineups:
  West Indies: Jason Holder (captain), Kraigg Brathwaite, Kieran Powell, Shimron Hetmyer, Shai Hope, Vishaul Singh, Shane Dowrich, Roston Chase, Devendra Bishoo, Alzarri Joseph, Shannon Gabriel.
  
  Pakistan: Misbah-ul-Haq (captain), Azhar Ali, Ahmed Shehzad, Babar Azam, Younis Khan, Asad Shafiq, Sarfraz Ahmed, Mohammad Amir, Yasir Shah, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Abbas.
  

 

[ghazi52]

Mohammad Abbas struck with his second ball in Tests .

One thing's for certain: Jason Holder can't blame the curator. The West Indies captain had demanded a lively wicket for this first Test, and that's exactly what he got. The ball moved sharply, carried through firmly to the keeper and struck the bat high. Holder's requirements from the surface had been met; the only problem was his side were batting on it. They might not be batting much longer on the evidence of the morning session, though, as the visitors - spearheaded by Mohammad Amir at his best - reduced West Indies to 71 for 4 by the time lunch was taken.

The call to field first might have been one of the easier decisions Misbah-ul-Haq has had to make during his cricketing career under overcast skies at Sabina Park. Amir opened the attack with 27-year old debutant Mohammad Abbas, both pitching the ball full to exploit the movement on offer. Abbas claimed a wicket with his second ball in Test cricket, Kraigg Brathwaite edging to second slip where Younis Khan snared a catch, reminding Pakistan it wasn't just his runs they were going to miss when he hangs up his bat at the end of this Test series.

But his senior bowling partner Amir was the man of the morning, striking the more telling blows. Showing exquisite control, he got one to dart back into the left-handed Shimron Hetmyer. Hetmyer, who had for much of his short stay at the crease been chiefly concerned with Amir's outswinger, was clearly unprepared for the change-up; Pakistan had almost begun celebrating by the time the debutant's bat came down. Four overs later, he castled Shai Hope with his stock delivery, swinging into the right hander and sending his off stump cartwheeling.

Misbah, for his part, was clever enough to bowl Amir as long as he could, with his figures of 8-5-10-2 actually somewhat harsh - four of those had come in overthrows. When Wahab came on, the runs flowed a little more freely, the batsmen taking advantage of his slightly erratic length and relative lack of movement. Even so, he claimed the scalp of Vishaul Singh owing to a sharp catch at square leg from Azhar Ali, the batsman falling over to a ball drifting onto leg stump.

West Indies were to some degree timid in their approach to the innings, as if fully cognizant, and slightly fearful, of the damage Pakistan's bowlers could inflict on them in such conditions. The batsmen appeared at times too keen to leave any balls outside the off stump, meaning they were often out of position to play the ones coming back in.

Kieran Powell, returning to Test cricket after three years, was the only one to display some stubborn resistance, unbeaten on a gritty 33 off 69 balls at lunch. It will require a significantly more gallant effort than that if his side are to dig themselves out of the hole Pakistan have put them in.

West Indies 126/5 (45.3 over)

 

[ghazi52]

Wahab stunner ends Chase fightback

Roston Chase and Shane Dowrich steered West Indies to a much better position than they found themselves when coming together two balls after the lunch interval, combining for a 72-run partnership as West Indies finished the second session on 143 for 5.

Having been 71 for 4 at lunch, much had depended on Kieran Powell, who had safely negotiated a first session that had proved a minefield for his team-mates. But with the second ball after the resumption, Mohammad Amir sent one well outside off stump, swinging away from the left-hander, Powell drove at it recklessly and edged to second slip where Younis Khan - who else? - put paid to the batsman's earlier hard work, taking a smart catch to his right.

However, much like in the first session, the stranglehold over the West Indies batsmen was loosened once Amir, who had picked up his third wicket, and the debutant Mohammad Abbas were taken out of the attack; 24 came off the next four overs bowled by Wahab Riaz and Yasir Shah. Neither came close to demonstrating the potency of those they had replaced and, for the first time in the game, the batsmen began to relax slightly.

Chase brought up the 50 partnership between him and Dowrich with a crisply struck drive for six off Yasir, as a session that had begun ominously for the hosts began to tilt slightly in their favour. It was evidence of Misbah-ul-Haq's concern that Amir was called back for a third spell just ten overs after being taken off, and although he was still tidy and economical, the wicket-taking threat he had demonstrated earlier was absent.

To their credit, Chase and Dowrich were excellent in trying circumstances, giving their top and middle order a lesson in patience and application. They took advantage whenever Yasir - who was inconsistent - missed his length, and punished Wahab when his line wavered. They did not panic when the runs dried up, but didn't go back into their shells so much they couldn't pounce on the poor deliveries.

It was all so different in the first session as Amir and Abbas dominated the West Indies batsmen in tailor-made circumstances for fast bowling. Abbas claimed a wicket with his second ball in Test cricket as Kraigg Brathwaite edged to second slip where Younis snared another catch, reminding Pakistan it wasn't just his runs they were going to miss when he hangs up his bat at the end of this Test series.

Abbas' senior bowling partner was the man of the morning, striking the more telling blows. Showing exquisite control, Amir got one to dart back into the left-handed Shimron Hetmyer, one of two West Indians on debut. Hetmyer, who had for much of his short stay at the crease been chiefly concerned with Amir's outswinger, was clearly unprepared for the change-up; Pakistan had almost begun celebrating by the time the his bat came down. Four overs later, Amir castled Shai Hope with his stock delivery, swinging into the right-hander and sending his off stump cartwheeling.

When Wahab came on, the runs flowed a little more freely, the batsmen taking advantage of his slightly erratic length and relative lack of movement. Even so, he claimed the scalp of Vishaul Singh, also in his first outing, owing to a sharp catch at square leg from Azhar Ali, the batsman falling over to a ball drifting on to leg stump.

West Indies seemed timid in their approach to the innings, as if fully aware - and slightly fearful - of the damage Pakistan's bowlers could inflict on them in such conditions. Amir, in particular, proved those fears to be entirely reasonable but, as Dowrich and Chase showed, hanging around on this surface isn't an impossible task. They could sip their tea in the knowledge that a small battle had been won.

West Indies 190/7 (69.5 over)

Bowling.......................... O M R W................................... Econ
Mohammad Amir.............. 18 8 28 3........................ 1.55
Mohammad Abbas............. 17 4 42 1 .......................2.47
Wahab Riaz...................... 16.4 4 51 1..................... 3.06
Yasir Shah ......................19 5 59 2......................... 3.10

 

[Proudpakistaniguy]

West Indies 244/7 (81.0 ov)

Poor show by Pakistan after they reduced WI to 71/5

 

[Arsalan]

We lost the vice like grip on the match in second session and did little to recover in the last. Yesterdays first session belonged to Pakistan but the next two were clearly won by WI. I hope we can get them out cheaply today and get on with batting. It is a tough surface to bat on and remember that we need a big first innings lead as we will be batting last.

 

[WAJsal]

Why can' we go for the kill when we are on top?

 

[ghazi52]

End of over 81 (1 run, maiden)
West Indies 244/7
D Bishoo..............23 (35b 1x4 1x6)
JO Holder..............30 (33b 3x4 1x6)

• • Mohammad Amir19-9-28-3
  • Yasir Shah24-5-91-2

Wet pitch delays start on day two

10.18am
Seems like the umpires weren't convinced after the first inspection. The wait continues with another inspection scheduled for 11am. So we have certainly lost the first hour of the second day. That's not a great sign, am afraid, especially with rain expected later in the day.

christian: "I was going to lambaste the WI top order for their meek performance, but I saw their two debutants came in at 3 and 5, spots held successfully most recently by BCL and the ageless Shiv. No pressure. I hope Bish reaches his 50 and WI pass 300 to make Pakistan toil a bit."

Assuming that we will get play underway at some point, there is a lot to look forward to. West Indies are seven down. If and when they do get bowled out, all eyes will be on Younis Khan, Pakistan's old warhorse, who is closing in on 10,000 runs and etching his name in history as the first man from Pakistan to scale Mount 10,000.

Alan Chapman: "Great opportunity here for Bishoo to get his first test 50. If this partnership continues to grow then it could be match winning."

That West Indies are still batting, however, is due to Roston Chase and the lower order. It was less than a year ago, at this very same venue that he struck a match-saving century on the final day against India to salvage an improbable draw for his side. Chase was at it again yesterday, after a sorry show from the top and middle order. That West Indies are still batting in the first innings was down to him and the lower order. More on the opening day's play in Danyal Rasool's report.

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Wahab Riaz took a stunning catch to remove Roston Chase, West Indies v Pakistan, 1st Test, Jamaica, 1st day,

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Mohammad Amir impressed on the opening day, Jamaica,

• ​

‹›
Shane Dowrich dug in during a sixth-wicket stand, Jamaica,

 

[ghazi52]

Amir's five-for headlines rain-hit day

West Indies.................... 278/9 (92.3 over)

 

[ghazi52]

Younis Khan and Babar Azam added 131 for the third wicket

It sometimes felt as if the sole purpose for playing this Test match was to provide Younis Khan a platform to score the 23 runs he has needed to become the first Pakistan cricketer to score 10,000 runs. If that was indeed the case, then the purpose had been served. Younis swept - of course he swept - to the fine-leg boundary to reach the milestone, and the wait was over.

It happened two balls after the tea interval. Younis had, of course, left us all hanging at the break with his career runs tally reading 9999, and for perhaps 15 minutes, it was a figure almost as famous in cricket as 99.94. But then after two balls (although really after 70 years), it happened. The newest addition to the 10,000-run club took off his helmet and set off for the tiny cluster of Pakistan fans huddled together. He raised his bat, pointed at the Pakistan crest on his shirt and set to work on what he knew best: batting in Test match cricket.

There was almost a palpable sense that a burden had been lifted, and Pakistan's scoring rate picked up sharply after that. The West Indies pacemen had tired themselves out, and the spin bowlers - Devendra Bishoo excepted - were child's play for the pair to handle. Having come through a cagey second session, Younis and Babar Azam tucked into Roston Chase and Kraigg Brathwaite, during a stand of 131 for the third wicket, a six into the second tier by Younis the shot of the day.

Jason Holder was forced to return to the quicks once again, and called upon Shannon Gabriel to do something about a match that was slipping away from his side. The move paid off almost immediately. In just Gabriel's second over back, Younis, who had perhaps relaxed a bit too much, failed to keep an attempted cover drive along the ground, spooning it straight to Brathwaite at short extra cover. It wasn't before Younis had scored a valuable 58, though, putting his side in control of an innings that had been quivering at 54 for 2 when he came in.

Gabriel wasn't done, however, accounting for Babar in his next over, the young batsman playing on to his stumps after making a composed 72 off 201 deliveries as a seesawing Test began to even up again. The new batsmen, Misbah-ul-Haq and Asad Shafiq, simply shut up shop thereafter as the quicks continued to push for another wicket in fading light. But the pair, nothing if not defensively resolute, held on till the close of play, Misbah surviving a review off what turned out to be the last ball of the day, setting the game up for an intriguing last couple of days.

The day had started with Mohammad Amir wrapping up the home side's innings, which had stretched on interminably owing to a combination of uncooperative weather and a wagging tail. They came out nine wickets down, and Amir needed just nine deliveries to account for Gabriel. It was almost a replica of the ball that did for Alzarri Joseph yesterday, angling in to Gabriel from around the wicket to crash into the middle stump and giving Amir his career-best bowling figures of 6 for 44.

Pakistan were dealt an early blow when Azhar Ali, indisputably their best batsmen of late, fell to a short wide delivery from Joseph that he will rue flashing at. It caught the edge and Shane Dowrich took a smart catch behind the wicket, but from Pakistan's point of view it will have felt like a wicket gifted. Ahmed Shahzad struck some confident boundaries on his return to the Test side but fell soon after, as a Holder delivery nipped in late to strike him on the back leg, bringing Younis and Babar together.

The pair hung around gamely in the face of a disciplined West Indian attack, ensuring they went in to tea having suffered no more setbacks. It took Younis 48 minutes and ten overs across two sessions to so much as get off the mark as the pace bowlers employed a consistent off-stump line and good length in otherwise unhelpful bowling conditions. Babar and Younis were equal to it, not about to throw their wickets away playing false shots, and consequently the session took on the feel of a stalemate. However, with Gabriel's late intervention taking the advantage away from Pakistan, the crowning glory is still very much up for grabs.

West Indies 286
Pakistan 201/4 (78.2 over)


Pakistan trail by 85 runs with 6 wickets remaining in the 1st innings

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Younis Khan punches the air on reaching 10,000 runs, West Indies v Pakistan, 1st Test, Jamaica, 3rd day,

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Shannon Gabriel was Mohammad Amir's sixth wicket, West Indies v Pakistan,

 

[ghazi52]

West Indies................ 286
Pakistan..................... 253/5....... (92.4 over)