1st ODI West Indies v Pakistan: Afridi lifts Pakistan with magical all-round performance
Afridi smashes 76 on his return to the national team.
Shahid Afridi produced a magical all-round performance as Pakistan thrashed West Indies by 126 runs in the first one-day international in Guyana on Sunday to take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.
Chasing a modest target of 225, West Indies were bowled out for their lowest ODI total against Pakistan with Afridi claiming a career-best seven for 12 which is the second best ODI figures in the history of the game after Chaminda Vaas.
Axed for the Champions Trophy, Afridi returned with a bang by smashing a brilliant 55-ball 76 which was studded with five sixes and six boundaries.
"I try hard and I back myself and I want to thank people back home," said Afridi after receiving the Man of the Match award.
"It is not time for me to just survive in the team, but to give a lot to the team. It was not easy to survive so I tried to stay positive. Whenever I got the ball in my zone I went for it. I knew Misbah was at the other end. I knew he would stay till the end, it gave me the confidence to go after it."
He was ecstatic about his career-best ODI bowling performance.
"Oh wow wow wow wow what a pitch it was for me to bowl. I just kept it simple, and it worked," he said.
Pakistan put into bat on a difficult pitch in overcast conditions were down in the dumps at 23-4 and 47-5 when Afridi walked into the middle.
In partnership with skipper Misbah (52), Afridi lifted Pakistan by dominating the 120-run stand for the sixth wicket.
West Indies also got off to a terrible start with Irfan striking twice while Gayle was run out by a direct hit to slump to 7 for 3.
Afridi turned the game on its head with a double strike in the 23rd over as they crashed to 41-5.
West Indies never recovered from this setback as Afridi produced a magical act with the ball.
WEST INDIES INNINGS
Afridi claims his seventh wicket trapping Holder leg before to bowl out West Indies for 98 in 41 overs.
J Holder lbw b Shahid Afridi 0 (4b 0x4 0x6)
Afridi returns to claim his sixth wicket as Narine is caught by Jamshed. WI 98-9.
S Narine c Nasir Jamshed b Shahid Afridi 14 (31b 2x4 0x6)
Narine hits a boundary off Ajmal. WI 96-8 in 40 overs.
Narine swings Ajmal for a boundary to midwicket. WI 76-8 in 36 overs.
Sammy ends the drought of boundaries by slamming Hafeez to mid off. WI 59-8 in 32 overs.
West Indies have taken the batting Powerplay in the 32nd over.
Afridi has amazing figures of 6-1-6-5 so far. WI 55-8 in 31 overs.
This is the third time Afridi has taken five and scored a fifty in the same match.
This is Afridi's ninth five-wicket haul in ODIs.
The last time he took five wickets in an ODI was in February 2012 vs Afghanistan at Sharjah.
Afridi claims his fifth as Roach chips a return catch. WI 55-8.
K Roach c and b Shahid Afridi 1 (9b 0x4 0x6)
Samuels is stunned as Afridi traps him leg before to claim his fourth wicket. WI 51-7.
M Samuels lbw b Shahid Afridi 25 (75b 2x4 0x6)
Afridi is working his magic with both bat and ball.
Pollard hits straight to long-off where Wahab pouches it as Afridi takes his third wicket. WI 50-6.
K Pollard c Wahab Riaz b Shahid Afridi 3 (10b 0x4 0x6)
Afridi strikes again and captured his 350th ODI wicket. WI 42-5 in 23 overs
DJ Bravo lbw b Shahid Afridi 0 (1b 0x4 0x6)
P Simmons st Umar Akmal b Shahid Afridi 10 (46b 0x4 0x6)
Junaid Khan bowls a maiden in his first over while there is a double change with Ajmal coming into the attack.
Samuels cracks consecutive boundaries off Ali to get into his stride.
West Indies suffer a major blow as Gaye is run out by a direct hit from Misbah. WI 7-3 in 5 overs.
C Gayle run out 1 (8b 0x4 0x6)
Darren Bravo hits a boundary off Irfan but is out next ball edging behind to Umar Akmal. WI 7-2.
DM Bravo c Umar Akmal b Mohammad Irfan 5 (18b 1x4 0x6)
Irfan bowls a second consecutive maiden over. WI 2-1 in 3 overs.
Sensational start by Irfan knocks the off stump of Charles with his second delivery after Gayle scrambles across for a leg bye first ball. WI 1-1.
J Charles b Mohammad Irfan 0 (1b 0x4 0x6)
Pakistan powered by a blistering half century from dashing all-rounder Shahid Afridi (76) recovered to make 224-9 in 50 overs.
Jason Holder ripped through the top order to claim four for 13 as Pakistan put into bat slumped to 23-4 in the 10th over.
After a brief recovery, they slumped further to 47-5 after the dismissal of Umar Akmal (19).
Jason Holder had amazing figures of four for 13 while Bravo went for 52 though claiming two wickets.
Afridi, recalled to the side after being dropped for the Champions Trophy, walked into the middle at this stage.
Mixing caution with aggression, Afridi clubbed five sixes and six boundaries during his brilliant 55-ball knock of 76.
Misbah (52), who holds the record for scoring most number of fifties without having scored an ODI century, shared a 120-run stand with Afridi for the sixth wicket.
PAKISTAN INNINGS
Hugely contrasting half-centuries by Shahid Afridi and Misbah-ul-Haq rescued Pakistan from a perilous position as they reached 224 for nine against the West Indies in the first one-day international at the Guyana National Stadium on Sunday.
Returning to the team after being omitted from the Champions Trophy in England in June, the mercurial Afridi smashed a top score of 76 off 55 deliveries while Misbah redefined the role of the cautious captain, occupying 121 balls for his watchful innings of 42.
The pair put on 120 for the sixth wicket, a new record in one-day internationals for the ground and the best for Pakistan against the West Indies.
Their effort was essential after Jason Holder wrecked Pakistan's top-order batting in finishing with the outstanding figures of four for 13 off 10 overs.
The beanpole pacer, in just his fourth one-dayer, proved almost unplayable in overcast, seamer-friendly conditions with an exhibition of pace and accuracy that belied his relative inexperience.
Holder wasted little time in getting among the wickets after light morning delayed the start by 15 minutes.
Ahmed Shehzad played-on in the Barbadian's second over while the experienced Mohammad Hafeez was a prized scalp, his off-stump sent cart-wheeling when he opted not to offer a shot.
Holder was then fortunate to have an lbw appeal against the other opener, Nasir Jamshed, upheld and then removed Asad Shafiq first ball to a brilliant catch by wicketkeeper Johnson Charles.
He should have claimed a fifth wicket but what looked like an obvious edge to Charles off Umar Akmal was ruled not out by umpire Joel Wilson, the same official who ruled Jamshed leg-before.
Afridi wasted no time setting about the bowling, hoisting six fours and five sixes in a typically entertaining innings while at the other end, Misbah was content to support the rampant all-rounder by feeding him the strike at every opportunity.
Afridi eventually fell to a catch at deep midwicket off Kieron Pollard in the 39th over.
West Indies did not help their cause with a repetition of the bowling indiscretions which surfaced during the tri-nations series last week where visiting India and Sri Lanka beat them to the final.
They delivered some 23 wides and gifted a total of 28 extras to the Pakistani total. Given the potential potency of the Pakistani bowling attack, it may prove to be a carelessness they could ill afford.
Last man Irfan smashes a boundary off the last ball from Bravo as Pakistan's innings ends with a flourish. Pak 224-9 in 50 overs.
Asad Ali clubs a huge six over midwicket off in the final over from Bravo but is out next ball. Pak 220-9.
Asad Ali b DJ Bravo 11 (6b 0x4 1x6)
Misbah perishes as he was about to kick on giving a nick behind to Charles off Bravo. Pak 200-8.
Misbah-ul-Haq c Charles b DJ Bravo 52 (121b 1x4 0x6)
Misbah completes his 26th ODI half century. Pak 198-7 in 47 overs.
Pakistan are losing the momentum after the departure of Afridi with Riaz holing out to Holder off Roach. Pak 183-7.
Wahab Riaz c Holder b Roach 7 (21b 0x4 0x6)
Afridi's swashbuckling knock comes to an as Sammy holds on to a skier off the bowling of Pollard. Pak 167-6.
Shahid Afridi c Sammy b Pollard 76 (55b 6x4 5x6)
The sixth wicket partnership between Misbah and Afridi yielded 120 runs in 19 overs.
Afridi flays Pollard virtually single-handed for a boundary over extra cover.
Afridi smashes his fifth six off Samuels to bring up the 100 partnership off 95 balls for the sixth wicket which is the best by Pakistan. Pak 149-5 in 36 overs.
Afridi has smashed Samuels over midwicket for his fourth six. Pak 139-5 in 34 overs.
Afridi smashes his 35th ODI fifty off 35 balls wwith consecutive boundaries off Sammy.
Afridi punches another boundary off Narine through point. Pak 107-5 in 30 overs.
Dwayne Bravo bowls a maiden to Afridi.
Afridi smashes Narine for a flat six over mid off and crashes him to the point boundary off successive balls to bring up the 50 partnership with Misbah for the sixth wicket off just 45 balls. Pak 98-5 in 28 overs.
Misbah gets a boundary off Narine with a reverse sweep.
Misbah miscues a slower ball from Dwayne Bravo over long-on for his second six and slashes the next over point for a boundary.
Holder complete a wonderful spell with figures of 10-4-13-4. Pak 61-5 in 24 overs.
Afridi opens his account with a towering off Roach over long off. Pak 54-5 in 21 overs.
Umar Akmal departs as Bravo takes a superb catch running off Roach. Pak 47-5.
Umar Akmal c DJ Bravo b Roach 19 (34b 0x4 1x6)
Umar Akmal hits the first six of the match off Sammy over square leg. Pak 33-4 in 15 overs.
Play resumes.
Rain has stopped play Pak 23-4 in 9.1 overs with Holder having figures of four for 7.
Shafiq is caught behind by Charles as Holder claims his fourth wicket. Pak 23-4 in 9 overs.
Asad Shafiq c Charles b Holder 0 (1b 0x4 0x6
Holders claims his third wicket as Jamshed is rapped on the pad after leaving the ball with the umpire raising his finger after some delay. Pak 21-3 in 8 overs.
N Jamshed lbw b Holder 6 (17b 1x4 0x6)
Jason Holder strikes again, knocking back the stumps of Hafeez. Pak 18-2
Mohammad Hafeez b Holder 1 (13b 0x4 0x6)
Shehzad edges the ball onto the stumps while making a late attempt to leave the ball. Pak 15-1
Ahmed Shehzad b Holder 5 (12b 1x4 0x6)
Nasir Jamshed hits a boundary off Roach to extra cover. Pak 11-0.
West Indies have won the toss and opted to bowl in a bid to exploit overcast conditions.
Jason Holder is in for Tino Best and skipper Dwayne Bravo is back replacing Devon Smith.
PLAYING XI
West Indies - C Gayle, J Charles, D Bravo, L Simmons, M Samuels, D Bravo, K Pollard, D Sammy, K Roach, S Narine, J Holder
Pakistan - N Jamshed, A Shehzad, M Hafeez, Misbah-ul-Haq, A Shafiq, U Akmal, S Afridi, W Riaz, A Ali, S Ajmal, M Irfan
Rain has delayed the toss for the first one-day international between West Indies and Pakistan in Guyana on Sunday.
The covers are coming off and the sun is out but it is still drizzling.
