West Indies set record to beat Pakistan by four wickets

West Indies set record to beat Pakistan by four wickets

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Explosive batting by Jason Mohammed (91* off 58 balls) and Ashley Nurse (34 off 15) helped West Indies chase down a target of over 300 for the first time in 31 attempts spread over 44 years. Earlier, Mohammed Hafeez’s 88 took Pakistan to 308/5 in the first ODI. WI finished at 309/6 in 49 overs.

Pakistan looked to have batted the West Indies out of the match at the Providence Stadium in Guyana. Riding on opener Ahmed Shahzad’s 67, Hafeez’s 88 and Shoaib Malik's fifty, Pakistan set their second highest total against the Windies in the 50-over format.

Although the home side started their chase badly, left-handers Evin Lewis (47) and Kieran Powell (61) kept the side in the hunt but their slow scoring meant that the required run rate was always climbing.

Pakistan skipper Sarfraz Ahmed paid a heavy price for relying on his faster bowlers as Man of the Match Mohammad went after them.

“I knew it was going to be difficult against Shadab, I decided to go after the fast bowlers and where to hit them. That clear thinking paid off today (Saturday),”  Mohammed was quoted as saying by News 18 website.

Nurse came in with the score at 259/6 after 45 overs and smashed five fours and a six.

This is the first time that Pakistan have failed to defend a total in excess of 300 outside the subcontinent. “I was disappointed with the way we bowled at the end,” Sarfraz said. “Jason batted brilliantly but we need to come back stronger for the second match on Sunday."

Both teams are playing for vital ranking points to confirm automatic qualification for the 2019 World Cup in England as one of the top eight teams by the cut-off date of Sept 30. Pakistan and West Indies are currently 8th and 9th respectively.

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