West Indies set out trophy credentials in devastating style
Hostile display of pace earns comfortable win Pakistan skittled for 105 before Gayle clubs 50
The stumps were a mess, splattered all over the floor. At 12.20pm, in a World Cup meant to be defined by big hitting, Pakistan’s last pair traipsed off, after they had been bundled out for 105.
Before the World Cup, bowlers had been warned that they could be marmalised. Instead, the West Indies’ pace quartet eviscerated Pakistan, taking advantage of the extra movement provided by the 10.30am start to deliver a barrage of brutish short balls.
If there was a little fortune to the first wicket, Imam-ul-haq strangled down the leg side, the West Indies immediately recognised how pace and bounce could upend the norms of recent one-day international cricket. And so Andre Russell, whose return to the side has been powered by his remarkable T20 hitting, delivered short balls from his first 16 deliveries, including two which Fakhar Zaman and Haris Sohail were not able to evade.
Russell’s three overs, shortened by a minor injury to his lower leg, changed the entire feel of the game. Suddenly, this felt more like a Test match in the Eighties than a modern ODI.
Barely two months ago, the West Indies skittled England for 113 in St Lucia. The template for this destruction was similar, a cocktail of relentless short balls interspersed with surprise yorkers. Oshane Thomas took five for 21 then; this time, his four for 27 cemented the impression he has made during a compelling start to his ODI career.
While the West Indies are one of just two teams in the World Cup without a wrist spinner, they have an abundance of pace instead, channelling the style of the sides who won the first two World Cups in England. They claimed six wickets through short balls alone.
“Russell led the way, bowling aggressive and fast. The Pakistani guys didn’t like it. So I just picked up where he left off really,” said Thomas, suggesting that the West Indies might just have the most hostile pace bowling in the competition. “I would say yes. Shannon [Gabriel] is still on the bench, a 90mph bowler; we didn’t play Kemar Roach.”
The upshot was Pakistan’s second-lowest total in the World Cup, all the more remarkable for coming after they reached 297 in each game and 340 four times out of four in the recent series against England.
Having scored 421 against New Zealand in their last warm-up game, now the West Indies mocked the notion that their bowling was their weaker suit. As Chris Gayle helped the West Indies gallivant to their target, the only snag was that Darren Bravo made a duck to continue his recent poor form.
Evin Lewis, who missed this game with injury, is likely to return in lieu of either Bravo or Nicholas Pooran for Thursday’s clash with Australia at Trent Bridge. Win that, and the sense of the West Indies as legitimate World Cup contenders will be inescapable.
Yet several thousand supporters barely saw any of the game. Due to huge demand at the ticket collection counter, partly caused by
postal delays, around 2,000 fans were left waiting – some for several hours – to get into the ground.
The ICC announced that all fans affected would receive a refund. To prevent the problem being repeated later on in the competition, the ICC will now permit fans to print off their own tickets.