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PHOTOS: Windies pacers send Pakistan crashing

Last updated on: May 31, 2019 19:38 IST

West Indies ease to seven-wicket victory after Oshane Thomas-led pace attack demolishes Pakistan for 105 in 21.4 overs.

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Oshane Thomas

IMAGE: West Indies pacer Oshane Thomas traps Pakistan's Shadab Khan leg before wicket in the World Cup match at Trent Bridge on Friday. Photograph: Jason Cairnduff/Reuters

The West Indies' fast bowlers produced a ruthless display to set up a seven-wicket victory over Pakistan in their World Cup opener, at Trent Bridge, on Friday.

Electing to field on winning the toss, the West Indies pacers made full use of overcast conditions to shoot out Pakistan for 105 in 21.4 over, as Oshane Thomas took four wickets for 27 runs, captain Jason Holder 3 for 42 and the returning Andre Russell 2 for 4.

 

Opener Chris Gayle, set to retire at the end of the tournament, led the West Indies reply with a blistering 50 off 34 balls as the two-times champions chased down the total, reaching 108-3 with 36.2 overs to spare.

Earlier, the in-form Fakhar Zaman and Babar Azam got off to solid starts but were both dismissed for 22, sparking a middle order collapse that the former champions did not recover from.

Pakistan were bowled out in 21.4 overs for their lowest World Cup total since a paltry 74 against England at Adelaide in 1992, the year Imran Khan's team went on to lift their only 50-overs crown.

Andre Russell

IMAGE: Andre Russell had figures of 2 for 4 from three overs. Photograph: Jason Cairnduff/Reuters

The only other batsmen to reach double figures were Wahab Riaz, who scored 18, and Mohammad Hafeez (16).

Riaz put on 22 for the last wicket -- the highest stand of the match -- with Mohammad Amir, who scored 3 not out.

Pakistan's lowest World Cup score was 74, made against England at Adelaide on the way to their only World Cup title in 1992.

"New experience for me, this being my first World Cup," Thomas told Sky Sports.

"I was confident of running in and doing my job. Andre Russell started the job for us, I just followed his footsteps today. Lot of guys tried to mix it up with short balls. I mean, we wanted to execute our plans well."

Jason Holder

IMAGE: Jason Holder appeals successfully for the wicket of Sarfaraz Ahmed. Photograph: Jason Cairnduff/Reuters

Imam-ul-Haq was the first batsman to be dismissed, caught behind the wicket by Shai Hope for 2 off the bowling of left-armer Sheldon Cottrell.

Russell then struck twice, bowling opener Fakhar in his first over and having Haris Sohail caught behind off a sharp rising delivery for eight.

Babar was caught by Hope off paceman Thomas to leave Pakistan in deep trouble at 62-4 in the 14th over.

Holder removed skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed, Imad Wasim and Hasan Ali in the space of nine balls for just three runs.

Some late hitting from Riaz took Pakistan over the 100-mark.

Chris Gayle

IMAGE: Chris Gayle pulls the ball to the boundary. Photograph: David Rogers/Getty Images

The West Indies needed just 13.4 overs to overhaul Pakistan's total, Chris Gayle top-scoring with 50.

He reached his half-century off 33 balls, with three sixes and six fours before he was dismissed off the next ball he faced.

During his innings Gayle, who calls himself the "Universe Boss", broke the record for the most sixes hit in World Cup history. He now has 40 maximums, three more than retired South African batsman A B de Villiers.

Mohammed Amir

IMAGE: Mohammad Amir celebrates taking the wicket of Chris Gayle. Photograph: David Rogers/Getty Images

Nicolas Pooran smashed paceman Wahab Riaz for a huge six over the square-leg boundary to give the 1975 and 1979 World champions an ideal start to their campaign.

The only positive for Pakistan was three wickets for paceman Mohammad Amir, who made his World Cup debut.

He missed the 2011 and 2015 World Cups due to a five-year spot-fixing ban in 2010.  

Amir had Shai Hope (11), Darren Bravo (0) and Gayle caught in an incisive six-over spell, but there was not much more he could do as Pakistan had hardly any runs to defend.