Shahid Afridi appeals for an lbw

Shahid Afridi appeals for an lbw, West Indies v Pakistan, 2nd ODI, Gros Islet, April 25, 2011

©AFP

Shahid Afridi appeals for an lbw, West Indies v Pakistan, 2nd ODI, Gros Islet, April 25, 2011©AFP

Ahmed Shehzad and Mohammad Hafeez added 66 for the first wicket

Ahmed Shehzad and Mohammad Hafeez added 66 for the first wicket, West Indies v Pakistan, 2nd ODI, Gros Islet, April 25, 2011©AFP

Ahmed Shehzad and Mohammad Hafeez added 66 for the first wicket, West Indies v Pakistan, 2nd ODI, Gros Islet, April 25, 2011©AFP

West Indies celebrate Mohammad Hafeez's wicket

West Indies celebrate Mohammad Hafeez's wicket, West Indies v Pakistan, 2nd ODI, Gros Islet, April 25, 2011

©AFP

West Indies celebrate Mohammad Hafeez's wicket, West Indies v Pakistan, 2nd ODI, Gros Islet, April 25, 2011©AFP

Ahmed Shehzad reached his 2nd century off 143 balls

Ahmed Shehzad reached his century off 143 balls, West Indies v Pakistan, 2nd ODI, Gros Islet, April 25, 2011

©AFP

Ahmed Shehzad reached his century off 143 balls, West Indies v Pakistan, 2nd ODI, Gros Islet, April 25, 2011©AFP

Pakistan won by 7 wickets

West Indies v Pakistan, 2nd ODI, Gros Islet, St Lucia

Pakistan won by 7 wickets (with 12 balls remaining)

Ahmed Shehzad ton secures 2-0 lead

The Bulletin by George Binoy

April 25, 2011

Unlike the island on which this match was played - St Lucia - the cricket was not arresting at the Beausejour Stadium. The stands were sparsely populated, the outfield patchy and the West Indian batsmen once again failed to combat Pakistan's spinners, their ineptness at reading variations making the contest a mismatch. Pursuing a middling target, Pakistan's only fault was their crawl in the first half of their chase, raising fleeting hopes of a competitive finish. Ahmed Shehzad prevented any such thing, his century securing a seven-wicket victory and a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.

Ahmed Shehzad

For the briefest of whiles West Indies, spurred by Lendl Simmons, were making a more spirited effort in this game compared to their struggle in the first. Simmons, however, had no support as his team-mates either flickered and perished, or struggled to rotate the strike. Pakistan stacked up dot balls as Simmons looked on, and his dismissal for 51 was the beginning of the unraveling of the West Indian challenge. Eight of their first nine batsmen made it to double figures, but only three got past 20.

Pakistan's first break was a fortunate one. Devon Smith was struck on the pad outside off stump by Hafeez while playing off the back foot but umpire Asoka de Silva thought otherwise. While Simmons was batting with Darren Bravo, though, the signs were promising for West Indies. They were 53 for 1 after the mandatory Powerplay.

Ajmal had bowled without deserved reward in the first one-dayer. He had teased and beaten Darren Bravo in that game. There was none of that today. Ajmal pitched his first ball just outside leg and spun it across the left-hander. Darren Bravo attempted to cut, and edged to first slip.

Marlon Samuels then dragged West Indies into the mire. The run-rate plummeted after he entered, as only 14 runs came off the bowling Powerplay. Simmons tried to counter by launching Afridi out of the ground over midwicket and then charging and hitting Junaid Khan for a straight six. Samuels, however, had scored only 3 off 36 and Simmons felt the need to attack some more. Soon after reaching his half-century, Simmons drove Afridi to short cover, where Umar Akmal parried the ball above his head and caught the rebound.

It became imperative that Samuels improve his strike-rate but he became Hammad Azam's first ODI wicket, bowled for 29 off 74 balls. Of the threatening batsmen, only Dwayne Bravo remained, but he soon perished to Wahab Riaz, charging and slogging a wide ball towards deep cover. West Indies eventually reached 220, though at Dwayne Bravo's dismissal - 148 for 6 in the 34th over - it didn't look like they'd last 50.

Pakistan reached the target with only 12 balls to spare but they were never in any realistic strife. Shehzad and Hafeez took their time, seeing of the Kemar Roach threat and settling in at leisure against the rest of the West Indian attack. The outcome was an uneventful passage of play that lacked shots and appeals but had an abundance of defence.

Roach hustled with the new ball, beating the bat several times and providing no space for stroke play. West Indies could have done with a similar bowler at the other end, but Jerome Taylor was in India, making his IPL 2011 debut for Pune Warriors. Instead they had Darren Sammy, who was flicked and cut for consecutive boundaries in his first over by Shehzad. Sammy wasn't loose, but he just didn't have the weapons to threaten batsmen with.

Pakistan had scored only 35 after the mandatory Powerplay and Hafeez soon raised the pace, jumping out in the 13th over to cart Sammy over long-on and pulling the next ball for four. The next boundary came only in the 31st.

Legspinners Devendra Bishoo and Anthony Martin, who was making his debut, pulled Pakistan's run-rate back. Bishoo even provided the breakthrough, inducing Hafeez to cut in the air to point, and snapped the opening stand on 66 in the 19th over.

Shehzad didn't waste his start, though, and continued anchoring Pakistan's innings. He got to his fifty off 94 balls and his century off 143. Only after he was dismissed in the 46th over did the asking-rate inch over a run a ball. Misbah-ul-Haq and Umar Akmal then struck a flurry of boundaries to secure the victory.

George Binoy is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo

Pakistan need 221 runs to win on 50 overs

West Indies 220 (50.0 ov)
Pakistan Req 221 runs to win
in 50 overs

West Indies v Pakistan, 2nd ODI, Gros Islet, St Lucia

Regular wickets put Pakistan on top

The Bulletin by George Binoy

April 25, 2011

For the briefest of whiles West Indies, spurred by Lendl Simmons, were making a more spirited start in this game compared to their struggle in the first ODI. Simmons, however, had little support as his team-mates either flickered and perished, or struggled to rotate the strike. Pakistan's spinners steadily stacked up dot balls as Simmons looked on, and his dismissal for 51 left West Indies in desperate need of a momentum-wresting partnership.

Mohammad Hafeez

The day began with left-arm fast bowler Junaid Khan bowling a maiden at Simmons. At the other end there was Mohammad Hafeez, bowling skiddy offbreaks with the new ball. Devon Smith sparked the innings to life, skipping down the pitch to hoist the offspinner over midwicket, and making use of Junaid's width to cut to the boundary. Smith went past 1000 ODI runs but his innings was cut short, as he was adjudged lbw by Asoka de Silva though Hafeez's ball had struck the pad outside off stump.

Simmons struck his first boundary - a pull off Wahab Riaz past mid-on - off the 17th delivery he faced and then hit one more two balls later, square-driving a wide one with flourish. Between the eighth and the ninth over, Simmons lay on the turf, writhing in pain after getting struck on the knee by Wahab, but he recovered to carry on.

While Simmons was batting with Darren Bravo, the signs were promising for West Indies. Bravo had driven Junaid fluently through cover, and then cut Hafeez off the back foot. West Indies were 53 for 1 after the mandatory Powerplay.

Saeed Ajmal had bowled without the reward he deserved in the first ODI. He had teased and beaten Bravo at will. Today, he dismissed Bravo first ball, spinning one from leg across the left-hander, drawing the edge to first slip.

With Marlon Samuels' entry, the run-rate began to plummet, as he blocked and was beaten. West Indies scored 14 runs off the bowling Powerplay and the innings was losing direction. Simmons countered by launching Shahid Afridi out of the ground over midwicket and then charging and hitting Junaid for a straight six. He was deft, too, dabbing a full ball from Afridi fine past third man.

Samuels, however, had scored 3 off 36 and Simmons felt he needed to attack more. Soon after reaching his half-century, Simmons drove Afridi fiercely towards short cover, where Umar Akmal parried it above his head and caught the rebound. Samuels then hit his first four, lofting Junaid over extra cover, off his 37th ball. He lost Kirk Edwards quickly, and Pakistan only had to dislodge Dwayne Bravo to keep the hosts to a middling total.

George Binoy is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo

Hammad Azam's first international wicket

Hammad Azam celebrates his first international wicket, West Indies v Pakistan, 2nd ODI, Gros Islet, April 25, 2011

©AFP

Hammad Azam celebrates his first international wicket, West Indies v Pakistan, 2nd ODI, Gros Islet, April 25, 2011©AFP

West Indies v Pakistan, 2nd ODI, Gros Islet, St Lucia

Regular wickets put Pakistan on top

The Bulletin by George Binoy

April 25, 2011

For the briefest of whiles West Indies, spurred by Lendl Simmons, were making a more spirited start in this game compared to their struggle in the first ODI. Simmons, however, had little support as his team-mates either flickered and perished, or struggled to rotate the strike. Pakistan's spinners steadily stacked up dot balls as Simmons looked on, and his dismissal for 51 left West Indies in desperate need of a momentum-wresting partnership.

Mohammad Hafeez

The day began with left-arm fast bowler Junaid Khan bowling a maiden at Simmons. At the other end there was Mohammad Hafeez, bowling skiddy offbreaks with the new ball. Devon Smith sparked the innings to life, skipping down the pitch to hoist the offspinner over midwicket, and making use of Junaid's width to cut to the boundary. Smith went past 1000 ODI runs but his innings was cut short, as he was adjudged lbw by Asoka de Silva though Hafeez's ball had struck the pad outside off stump.

Simmons struck his first boundary - a pull off Wahab Riaz past mid-on - off the 17th delivery he faced and then hit one more two balls later, square-driving a wide one with flourish. Between the eighth and the ninth over, Simmons lay on the turf, writhing in pain after getting struck on the knee by Wahab, but he recovered to carry on.

While Simmons was batting with Darren Bravo, the signs were promising for West Indies. Bravo had driven Junaid fluently through cover, and then cut Hafeez off the back foot. West Indies were 53 for 1 after the mandatory Powerplay.

Saeed Ajmal had bowled without the reward he deserved in the first ODI. He had teased and beaten Bravo at will. Today, he dismissed Bravo first ball, spinning one from leg across the left-hander, drawing the edge to first slip.

With Marlon Samuels' entry, the run-rate began to plummet, as he blocked and was beaten. West Indies scored 14 runs off the bowling Powerplay and the innings was losing direction. Simmons countered by launching Shahid Afridi out of the ground over midwicket and then charging and hitting Junaid for a straight six. He was deft, too, dabbing a full ball from Afridi fine past third man.

Samuels, however, had scored 3 off 36 and Simmons felt he needed to attack more. Soon after reaching his half-century, Simmons drove Afridi fiercely towards short cover, where Umar Akmal parried it above his head and caught the rebound. Samuels then hit his first four, lofting Junaid over extra cover, off his 37th ball. He lost Kirk Edwards quickly, and Pakistan only had to dislodge Dwayne Bravo to keep the hosts to a middling total.

George Binoy is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo

Pakistan news

Zulqarnain Haider returns to Pakistan

ESPNcricinfo staff

April 25, 2011

Five and a half months after fleeing to London from the UAE on the morning of an ODI, Zulqarnain Haider, the former Pakistan wicketkeeper, has returned home, having secured security assurances from the government about his safety and that of his family.

Zulqarnain Haider landed at Islamabad airport on Monday morning © AFP

Haider landed at Islamabad airport on Monday morning and was swiftly escorted by security personnel to the office of Rehman Malik, the Interior Minister, who had convinced him to come back from London. Haider, who turned 25 on Saturday, had announced last week that he was prepared to revoke his application for asylum in the UK and return to Pakistan and resume his playing career. However, soon after that, there was confusion; some channels reported that he was reconsidering his decision after receiving threatening phone calls in the aftermath of his decision to return.

But later he clarified to other channels - as well as leaving an update on his Facebook page - confirming that he would be returning as planned. Haider also recorded the threatening calls he had received, parts of which were aired on some Pakistani channels.

"I am happy to return," he said on Monday afternoon, after a meeting with Malik. "I have met Rehman Malik and the sports minister and they have provided me foolproof security," he said.

"When I landed at the airport everything was superb. They have given me superb accommodation and have lived upto their promise. I have just talked to them and briefed them on what happened to me. When I meet Ijaz Butt [PCB chairman] I will share with him too. I think no one will put his future on line and there were some reasons when I left the team and went to Britain."

Haider had gone missing from the Pakistan team's hotel in Dubai on the morning of the fifth and final ODI against South Africa on November 8, saying he had received death threats from unidentified people seeking to draw him into match-fixing. He fled to the UK to seek protection and placed an application for asylum that hinged on the nature of the information he was able to divulge, as the extraordinary nature of his case appeared to fall outside the usual conditions required of a person seeking refugee status.

In the aftermath of his flight, Haider announced his international retirement and his contract with the PCB was suspended. A fact-finding committee subsequently set-up by the PCB to look into the affair failed to find any clear motives behind his actions.

But the committee was told by some of the national team's support staff that Haider had a complex personality, was a "weak nerve" person and "a person who is easily convinced into believing whatever is said to him." The committee, which spoke to Haider by phone, asked the PCB to write to Haider and ask him what happened in Dubai which forced him to fly to London.

The report tapped into increasing public scepticism over the motives for Haider's flight, not helped by a growing number of statements by the player promising much in the fight against corruption but delivering little. When one channel said last week that he was considering not returning, Haider threatened them with legal action.

What happens now remains unclear. A board official told ESPNcricinfo that there was no "official next step," as far as Haider was concerned. "The fact-finding committee's last communication with him was to seek some more details, but they never heard back from him. The board will do nothing now until he gets in touch with us. After that we can decide on a future course of action, whether disciplinary because he breached the code of conduct, or otherwise."

Haider said he hadn't decided whether or not to take back his retirement, saying he wanted to "spend some time with my family," first.

West Indies v Pakistan, 2nd ODI, Gros Islet, St Lucia

Afridi asks West Indies to bat

Shahid Afridi put West Indies in to bat after winning the toss, after two losses, in the second ODI in St Lucia, hoping to repeat the successful chase that gave Pakistan a 1-0 lead in the five-match series. The stands were disappointingly empty at the start of the game.

West Indies made one change to their XI that lost on Saturday, giving Antigua legspinner Anthony Martin a debut. Andre Russell was the player to make way as West Indies wanted two spinners - both of them of the legbreak variety - on a slow pitch at Gros Islet. The exclusion of Russell for Martin, however, lengthened the tail significantly.

Pakistan were unchanged from the first ODI.

Mohammad Hafeez
 celebrates Devon Smith's
 wicket, West Indies v Pakistan
, 2nd ODI, Gros Islet, April 25, 2011
©AFP

West Indies (possible): 1 Devon Smith, 2 Lendl Simmons, 3 Darren Bravo, 4 Marlon Samuels, 5 Kirk Edwards, 6 Dwayne Bravo, 7 Carlton Baugh (wk), 8 Darren Sammy (capt), 9 Devendra Bishoo, 10 Kemar Roach, 11 Anthony Martin

Pakistan (possible): 1 Ahmed Shehzad, 2 Mohammad Hafeez, 3 Asad Shafiq, 4 Misbah-ul-Haq, 5 Umar Akmal, 6 Hammad Azam, 7 Mohammad Salman (wk), 8 Shahid Afridi (capt), 9 Wahab Riaz, 10 Junaid Khan, 11 Saeed Ajmal

George Binoy is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo

pakistan win by 8 wickets

pakistan win by 8 wickets

West Indies v Pakistan, 1st ODI, Gros Islet

West Indies 221/6 (50 ov)

Pakistan 222/2 (41.3 ov)

Pakistan won by 8 wickets (with 51 balls remaining)

Pakistan's batsmen seal the job started by spinners

The Bulletin by Liam Brickhill

April 23, 2011

Pakistan strolled to victory in the first one-day international against West Indies at the Beausejour Stadium in St Lucia, Mohammad Hafeez, Misbah-ul-Haq and Asad Shafiq all contributing half-centuries as West Indies' score of 221 for 6 was overhauled with more than eight overs to spare.

It appeared West Indies had a fighting chance of continuing the success of the opening Twenty20 of the tour after Darren Bravo's 67 helped them to a workable total and legspinner Devendra Bishoo struck twice in quick succession to reduce Pakistan to 88 for 2. Bishoo had precious little support from the rest of the bowling attack, however, and Misbah and Shafiq put together an unbroken partnership of 134 for the third wicket to steer Pakistan home.

Asad Shafiq and Misbah ul Haq

This match had been billed as a chance for West Indies to get revenge for their World Cup humiliation by Pakistan, but in the end it was more like a replay. Even the Man of the Match, Hafeez, was the same and West Indies' greatest errors stemmed from their misreading of the pitch for today's game - an unforgivable error as they should have known what to expect after the Twenty20, which was also played at Gros Islet.

It had been thought the pitch would be slow, and it was, but it also offered turn and bounce to the spinners. Shahid Afridi, Saeed Ajmal and Hafeez bowled a combined 30 overs for just 100 runs, picking up two wickets, but Bishoo was the only slow bowler in an unbalanced seam-heavy attack as Devon Smith bowled two ineffectual overs of offspin and Marlon Samuel's respectable offerings weren't called upon.

West Indies were left chasing the game almost from the start as, reprising his World Cup role, Hafeez was brought on early and soon dealt with Smith while Ajmal toyed with Lendl Simmons before sending down adoosra that the batsman feathered through to the keeper to give a sluggish start an even more sombre tone.

Samuels maintained his trademark ice cool composure and exhibited his best poker face but fell to some indecisive running and it was left to Darren Bravo and Kirk Edwards to get an increasingly rudderless innings back on track. They gritted out a fourth-wicket partnership worth 59, replete with snappy singles and dinks into the outfield, that carried West Indies to 135 before Edwards tried to break the shackles with a heave into the deep that could only get as far as Junaid Khan at deep midwicket.

That brought Darren's half-brother Dwayne to the crease, and it was in his company that he reached a boundary-free half-century from 97 balls. The brothers Bravo continued to push the ones and twos wherever possible, and when the Batting Powerplay was called for at the start of the 43rd over Darren took it as his cue to take the attack to Pakistan's seamers.

With much of the boundary unprotected, Dwayne Bravo attempted to follow Darren's lead but his charge came to a premature end when he chipped a Riaz full toss towards mid-off, where Afridi skipped to his right and bent low to hold the catch inches from the turf.

Sammy's walk to the crease was accompanied by a warm reception from a middling crowd - St Lucia being his home island - but they were soon hushed into silence by another piece of inept running. Bravo dug a free hit towards deep mid-off and Sammy cajoled him into a second run that was never there, the result being that the set batsman was run out for 67 just as he began to accelerate and West Indies faced the final five overs of the innings with two brand new batsmen at the crease.

While Ajmal continued to weave mysteries around the batsmen until the very end, Sammy took the dismissal in his stride and responded with a flurry of boundaries - including a memorably monstrous six that landed on the roof of the stands on the western side of the ground - and together with an energetic Carlton Baugh boosted West Indies' total at the death.

It was soon made to look nowhere near enough, however, as Hafeez and Ahmed Shehzad put on an untroubled 68 for the first wicket at close to a-run-a-ball before Bishoo's intervention. Hafeez had set about Pakistan's chase with alacrity from the start, displacing a silken touch on both sides of the wicket as he raced to 20 from just 10 balls without a slog in sight and taking full advantage as a swirling top-edge evaded Kemar Roach, running in from long leg.

After a slow start his opening partner, Shehzad, started to catch up with three classy boundaries from one Roach over and with Pakistan soon racing along at better than a-run-a-ball West Indies began to wilt visibly in the field.

Bishoo's introduction quickly changed that, however, as he gave away just one run from his first nine deliveries and then lured Shehzad forward with a looping, dipping legbreak that fizzed past the outside edge for wicketkeeper Carlton Baugh to complete a smart stumping with the batsman's back foot in the air. Hafeez went to his fifty with a slog sweep over deep backward square off Bishoo, but was then undone by what appeared to be a wrong 'un as, cramped for room, he clipped straight to a diving short midwicket.

The wickets reduced Pakistan to 88 for 2 and brought West Indies back into the game, but with the seam attack unable to contain the batsmen and spin support for Bishoo unavailable Misbah and Shafiq soon settled. Both played with increasingly imperious confidence, Misbah raising a 63-ball fifty in the 35th over and Shafiq following suit four overs later. West Indies' demise thereafter was swift, and they will have to improve in all areas if they are to square the series in the second match at the same ground on Monday.

Liam Brickhill is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo