Pakistan Tour Of West Indies 2013

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Azmal Shehzad ... Who hyped that guy?? Can't even rotate strike :orderorder:

[div]

Azmal Shehzad ... Who hyped that guy?? Can't even rotate strike :orderorder:

spot fixing .:secret:

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Narine and Bravo brothers level series

West Indies were unusually generous in the field but their batting showed signs of returning to form and Sunil Narine roared back to his best as they overcame Pakistan in Providence to level the series at one-each. West Indies themselves had been helped by a sloppy effort from Pakistan's bowlers, who conceded a whopping 38 extras in a low-scoring game. Darren Bravo provided the stability at the top of the order and, though Pakistan's naggingly accurate trio of spinners choked the scoring in the middle overs, Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard played some big shots towards the end of the innings to lift West Indies to a competitive 232 on a slow surface. Pakistan's response was guided by Nasir Jamshed, who was more than compensated for being incorrectly adjudged lbw early in the first ODI. He was dropped three times during his half-century and Johnson Charles fluffed one stumping chance in an ungainly innings that also had several inside-edges and mishits. Jamshed took forever to get off the mark as Kemar Roach began with four maidens in a row, and was dropped on duck off his 21st delivery. You could feel the frustration and in the next over, he connected with a pick-up shot over midwicket for six to relieve some of the pressure. His opening partner Ahmed Shehzad failed for the second consecutive match on his comeback. Mohammad Hafeez decided to hit his way back to form before unwisely thinking he could smash Narine over the man at long-on to fall for 20. Misbah-ul-Haq could have been run-out on 0, a score he remained on after facing 11 deliveries before breaking free with a typical loft over midwicket. The manner of his dismissal was totally out of character though, as he skipped beyond leg stump to make room and missed a straight one from Darren Sammy. Asad Shafiq was the next to go, slapping a long hop from Marlon Samuels to extra cover and Pakistan slid to 122 for 4. Through it all, Jamshed persevered, putting aside the false strokes and strokes of fortune and, in the 35th over, he completed his fifty with a calculated chip over mid-on for four. With the flamboyant pair of Umar Akmal and Shahid Afridi to come, Jamshed didn't need to go for the big hits but when Pollard was given his first over in the batting Powerplay, Jamshed promptly holed out to wide long-on. After the magical performance in his comeback match on Sunday, could Afridi deliver once more? He couldn't, as he fell for 5 after an innings in which he batted as though on hot coal. Every ball, he charged out of the crease or backed away from the stumps or shuffled across to the off; none of that was enough to counter the canny variations of Narine, who had him stumped to expose Pakistan's lengthy tail. Pakistan were left needing 82 off the final 10 overs, which proved too much for Akmal, who finished with a 46-ball 50 to reduce the margin of defeat. Pakistan had actually been on top for much of the time that West Indies batted. When West Indies were 150 for 5 in the 39th over, with only the inconsistent allrounders to come, the only thing Pakistan had to complain about was some chewing gum which was stuck to the ball, but Pollard and Dwayne Bravo put on 70 brisk runs to lift West Indies to a respectable score. Chris Gayle's miserable run continued as he fell to a swinging Mohammad Irfan delivery in the first over, before Darren Bravo and Charles showed some spine on either side of a 45-minute rain break. The more gentle medium-pace of Asad Ali didn't complement the threat provided by Irfan, as he routinely strayed with the new ball to allow Darren Bravo some confidence-building boundaries. The art of taking singles continues to mystify Charles - he took only one single in the first ten overs - forcing him to go for the big hits often. It was one such attempt that ended his innings on 31, as he completely missed a legbreak from Afridi to be stumped yards out of his crease. Darren Bravo and Marlon Samuels kept out Pakistan's dangerous spinners for a while, without scoring at much pace, but Saeed Ajmal removed them both - Darren Bravo with a doosra, and Samuels with one that didn't spin. It extended Samuels' wretched run in ODIs, and he walked off with a shrug acknowledging that Ajmal had got the better of him. When the batting Powerplay only yielded 18 runs and produced two wickets, West Indies looked headed for a score around 200. Pollard and Dwayne Bravo haven't covered themselves in glory in recent times but they played the role they are well suited for. Pollard repeatedly powered the ball down the ground, and Dwayne Bravo regularly pinged the off-side boundaries in the quick-scoring partnership. The big push arrived when Wahab Riaz was taken for 18 in the 47th over, and West Indies ended up with a total that has usually proved a winning one at this ground.

http://www.espncricinfo.com/west-indies-v-pakistan-2013/content/current/story/651835.html

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Variation in pace works for Narine

Sunil Narine, who took four wickets to set up West Indies' 37-run win against Pakistan in the second ODI in Guyana, said that a variation in pace had helped him succeed after a poor outing in the first match. Narine dismissed Shahid Afridi and Mohammad Hafeez, and took two more wickets to finish with his fourth four-wicket haul and his second best performance in ODIs, conceding 26 runs in ten overs. "I just bowled a little quicker because on this pitch some were staying low and some were bouncing, so it was not an easy pitch," Narine said after the match. He said he had not yet regained full fitness after suffering a finger injury on his bowling hand during the tri-series game against India in Port-of-Spain. "My finger is 90% okay," Narine said. West Indies captain Dwayne Bravo was happy with manner in which his team had responded to pressure coming in to the game and said that their pre-match strategies had worked well. "We lost the toss and were sent in to bat, which is something we wanted to do. I wanted a change," Bravo said. "I wanted the batters to go in there and free themselves, and score without pressure; that change in momentum worked for us. "We lost Chris Gayle early, but the innings my younger brother (Darren Bravo) played with Johnson Charles laid the foundation for us. We know we bat very deep and we have a good lower order. It was not a 250-260 wicket. Our aim was to try and get 235. We knew we had the bowling attack to restrict Pakistan on that sort of wicket, which will play slow and low as the game progresses." Bravo praised Charles, who kept wicket in the first two ODIs after Denesh Ramdin was dropped from the side. "With Johnson playing that role (wicketkeeper-batsman), it gave us an opportunity to lengthen our batting," He said. "We know our batting has been a bit on the shaky side and inconsistent. Unfortunately, our best wicketkeeper Ramdin was out but he still has a big part to play in West Indies cricket and one-day cricket for us. But so far, Johnno has been doing a fantastic job." Pakistan's batting failed again and their captain Misbah-ul-Haq said that poor shot selection was a major factor for the loss. "It [target of 233] was a good total on this pitch. I got the feeling that it got slower and slower and it got turn, so credit to them, they bowled well," Misbah said. "There was not much difference in the pitch between the innings, but I think they handled the bowlers better. For us, it was wrong shot selection and we kept losing wickets at the wrong time during the chase. We have been winning games while chasing - we won in South Africa that way - but today, we just played some bad shots." With the series level at 1-1 and the next three games scheduled in St Lucia, Bravo said he expected a tougher contest because the conditions would favour both sides. "I expect three hard games in St Lucia," Bravo said. "Hopefully, it will be a better batting wicket and the ball will come onto the bat, which will suit our batters. The conditions will suit both teams, as they are similar. I guess whichever team plays better on the day will win. I would encourage my team to stay focused."

http://www.espncricinfo.com/west-indies-v-pakistan-2013/content/current/story/652033.html

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Top-order worries remain for both teams

Attribute it to the impact of Twenty20 if you may, but with the recent trend in one-dayers, even a cushion of 15 runs to defend off the final over may not be enough for fielding sides to feel safe. Ask Pakistan. In the last two months, they have choked while defending the exact number, first against Ireland and yesterday against West Indies. Both ended in ties. More recently, Sri Lanka too cracked under pressure against last-minute specialist MS Dhoni, the only difference being they conceded the match and the tri-series trophy to India. Such is the standard of death bowling these days that it is possible for Nos 9 and 11 to finish off improbable chases. Friday's game was Pakistan's to lose with West Indies needing 39 off the last three with two wickets remaining. A combination of poor field placings and equally poor bowling cost them. Even with 15 to defend off six, Pakistan were better off saving boundaries than cutting off singles. Wahab Riaz bowled length instead of firing in yorkers, that Junaid Khan did so effectively. One of the commentators suggested that Mohammad Hafeez would have been a better choice. Despite the choke, Pakistan had positives to draw from the game, most notably their fielding. Excluding a couple of blunders that cost boundaries - a misfield from Shahid Afridi at the start of the chase and Riaz moving the wrong way at long-on during the climax - the commitment was pleasing. Ahmed Shehzad and Hafeez took a couple of sharp catches and the number of sliding stops inches from the rope only made West Indies' task harder. In the batting, Umar Akmal and Riaz played positively in the slog overs to take 52 off the last 4.2 overs. Misbah-ul-Haq laid the platform with 75, but it was another laborious knock that consumed too many balls. One thing the two sides have in common is an undependable top order. A spectator held a placard asking for Chris Gayle to be demoted down the order, given his lackluster form. Gayle has been struggling against two new balls and a quality seam attack, so it may not be a bad idea for him to swap places with an in-form Lendl Simmons. West Indies have also put more pressure on themselves by not rotating the strike enough. Pakistan don't really have a weak fifth bowler, so the batsmen can't expect too many boundary balls. As the captain Dwayne Bravo said after the match, the tie was not a satisfactory result for the hosts because the batsmen had no business leaving the dirty work to the tailenders.

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Pakistan's short run: wrong call, but right protocol

In the 1987 World Cup, in a league match between India and Australia in Madras, Dean Jones hit Maninder Singh for what looked like a six over mid-off. Ravi Shastri, the fielder closest to the rope, though, signalled four to umpire Dickie Bird, who took his word. According to Jones, the hit had cleared the boundary by at least a metre, and their manager protested with the umpires during the innings break, who in turn consulted with the opposition captain Kapil Dev. Kapil allowed them to reverse the call; India's target was adjusted to 271, and they managed 269 in the end. After Pakistan's tie with West Indies, which involved an erroneous short-run penalty against Pakistan, the common refrain among fans was, if they could correct a decision back when Chennai was Madras, why not do it today when you have so many replays from so many different angles? The clamour had a point, in that a short run or a boundary call are special cases. They don't affect the subsequent deliveries unlike an erroneous judgement on a no-ball or a wide. The same batsman remains on strike, and the same number of deliveries are required to be bowled in the over irrespective of the decision. Nor are short runs a subjective call, unlike wides. However, there is so much going against such a retrospective correction that the right protocol seems to have been followed although the decision made by the umpire was wrong. Law 27.9 states: "An umpire may alter his decision provided that such alteration is made promptly. This apart, an umpire's decision, once made, is final." Moreover, the India-Australia precedent from 1987 doesn't stand any more. "There is no longer a provision for the TV umpire to change scores relating to boundaries retrospectively, and this principle applies to all runs scored off a ball," an ICC representative told ESPNcricinfo. You can see the ICC's logic. The most important aspect of any umpiring decision or a correction thereof, at least on paper, has to be fairness and consistency. Which by extension means the correction of a wrong short-run call should imply both to the times when a short run was missed and to an erroneous short run called in, say, the 49th over of a tight chase while bearing in mind that the play doesn't stop for short-run calls and that the replays are provided in an ad-hoc manner by the host broadcaster and might take a few balls by which time the fielding captain would well be within his rights to protest. In this case, for example, the relevant replay was generated one delivery later. "The ability to change the scores retrospectively was removed several years ago," the ICC said. "The ability for teams to lobby the referee and TV umpire for runs retrospectively raised some disconcerting possibilities. This is now simple: umpires use replays to make a call before the next ball is bowled, and that decision is final." It does become a pain should any party seek a correction after the next ball has been bowled in the closing stages of a tense chase. The obvious counter to this would be a reference to Andy Flower, who presumably lobbied and famously got a run-out call against Ian Bell reversed in the Trent Bridge Test of 2011. That, though, was different. Firstly it involved a dismissal. Moreover, the cricket laws state that a fielding captain can withdraw an appeal until the next batsman has walked in. This argument around this short run - it would be naïve to believe it had any bearing on the end result, because West Indies would have chased accordingly if they were going after 231 as opposed to 230 - intensifies because the ICC has felt obliged to defend its systems in the face of umpiring mistakes made in a much more high-profile Test series in England. While making the defence, ICC chief executive David Richardson made an interesting revelation that the governing body is trialling a system wherein the third umpire can be shown prompt replays of every ball in order to see if he can review every aspect of every decision made on the field before the next ball is bowled. If that system had been in place, this short run wouldn't have been a controversy, but in a practical world we are far off from any such possibility. Given the current technology, it is just not possible. "To review these run-changing calls thoroughly," the ICC told ESPNcricinfo, "the TV umpire would need to not just review the calls that were made on field, but also the non-calls that could have changed the total if adjudicated correctly. This would need to be done fairly to both teams, and require review protocols to be established and followed each time. This option would slow the game considerably, and is currently not practical. Relying on ad-hoc replays from the broadcaster would create inconsistency." Again, you can see the ICC's point. It is not possible to fairly and consistently check every decision unless the TV umpire is being provided with instant replays in time to make a call before the next ball is bowled. And if you are going to correct a call in the first innings, you should be able to retrospectively make corrections in tense situations in the second innings too. Given that the technology is nowhere near adequate for such a practice to be in place, possibly the ICC can make an exception for calls on short runs? For how often do batsmen run short? Not even once a match on average. The uniqueness and rareness of the short-run decision might make for a special case, but when it comes to impact, a short run is even less consequential than a wide ball missed

http://www.espncricinfo.com/west-indies-v-pakistan-2013/content/story/653507.html

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Fatigue may be draining WI

With every passing ODI over the past eight months - in Bangladesh, India, Australia, England and back in the Caribbean - West Indies' problems multiply. They concern primarily the change of the captaincy and the overall batting failures that have resulted in all-out totals over the last 23 matches of 199, 132, 171 and 98 and none above 250. Also high on the list is the failure to recognise the value, especially in a limited-overs contest, of singles and twos so readily available on the vacant spaces created by widespread fields. As the West Indies pursued their modest goal of 229 against Pakistan at the Beausejour stadium on Friday, they ended with 184 dot balls, those that earned them nothing. They were, by straightforward mathematics, 30.4 overs of their 50; Pakistan had 100 dots fewer. As Marlon Samuels, especially, soaked up the overs in his tortured 46 from 106 balls, he kept banging balls straight to fielders on the edge of the 30-yard semi-circles so hard that to run would have meant a run-out (not unusual where he is concerned); a simple block would have yielded one. It was thoughtless, unprofessional cricket The former Australian captain, Bobby Simpson, held the theory that the team with the more singles, rather than the more boundaries, usually wins ODIs. It sounds idiotic on the face of it; the stats and the disruption produced for bowlers and fielders prove otherwise. The switch of captaincy from Darren Sammy to Dwayne Bravo for the 50-over version in March was, according to chief selector Clyde Butts, to "freshen the leadership". It was prompted by the ODI results (12 losses, nine wins and two ties) that so dramatically contrast the six successive Test victories and the euphoric triumph in last October's World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka. These are early days but, after the team's elimination from the recent triangular home series with India and Sri Lanka, Bravo openly accepted responsibility, acknowledging that he was still to fit into what is an unfamiliar role at a difficult time. He is an ebullient all-round cricketer with eight years experience in the international game. Yet his last shot as captain was in South Africa six years ago when he took over for the third and final Test and the five ODIs after Chris Gayle was injured. He has not even led Trinidad & Tobago since. He said after the triangular series that it was a new role so "I have to get accustomed to it and address it as quickly as possible". He has taken his responsibility a little far by choosing to bowl the "death" overs himself; the results should persuade him that, as gallant as his decision is, he is not suited to the role. Against India in Port-of-Spain, he went for 23 off his last two overs; at Beausejour on Friday, his last two cost 32 and very nearly the match. Bravo has only two more ODIs in charge in this series to fit into the role; the West Indies' next ODIs are scheduled for New Zealand at the end of the year. The worries are compounded by the decline of the key batsmen, Gayle, Samuels and Kieron Pollard. It constantly places the burden on the tail-enders either to squeeze out a few narrow victories -- or, as was the case at the Beausejour stadium on Friday, an outrageous tie against Pakistan -- or save some face. Gayle, as feared a striker of a cricket ball as there ever has been, has tapered off to 14 scores below 20 in his last 18 ODI innings. Samuels has found the certain timing, and the confidence, that made him among the top batsmen in all forms of the game last year elusive, as his struggle on Friday indicated. Pollard, capable of demolishing opposition bowling as brutally as Gayle, has gone into such a slump that his seven innings since returning home after the Champions Trophy are 0, 4, 0, 0, 3, 30 and 0. Such a sequence so cripples self-belief that it is difficult to break free. Yet Gayle has an impressive record in all three formats over a dozen years in West Indies colours and an incomparable reputation in Twenty20s the world over. As recently as March, he was compiling his 15th Test hundred against Zimbabwe before heading off to the 20-overs stuff of the Indian Premier League (IPL) to belt his remarkable, record 175 with 17 sixes for his franchise team, Royal Challengers Bangalore. Just a month ago, he began the triangular series with 109 that underpinned the West Indies victory over Sri Lanka. Samuels' rare quality was at its peak in 2012; he was not only the West Indies' most productive batsman but was among the world leaders. Pollard has three ODI hundreds, two against Australia home and away, one in India. So why the collective deterioration? One feasible answer is plain old tiredness. They all certainly look drained. Gayle, now 33, and Pollard have been virtually non-stop on the road, for the West Indies and for T20 teams in the IPL and Australia's Big Bash, for almost a year. Samuels was also physically stretched, sidelined with a serious eye injury during the Big Bash and with a muscle strain during the IPL before returning for the Tests against Zimbabwe in March, since when he has been in all West Indies ODIs in Champions Trophy, the triangular and now against Pakistan. It is instructive that Lendl Simmons has been the freest of the batsmen since his umpteenth recall following his form for the 'A' team against Sri Lanka 'A' in June and that Jason Holder, at 21 the youngest on the team, has made an early impression. Simmons was not picked for Australia, the Zimbabwe matches or the Champions Trophy. Holder had just two ODIs and the series against Sri Lanka 'A'. Both were fresh and with something to prove. It is clearly an explanation that the selectors, by sticking basically to the same squad throughout, have not bought into. If it is something else, the West Indies do have a deeper problem than just fatigue.

http://www.espncricinfo.com/west-indies-v-pakistan-2013/content/story/653709.html

[virufan]

Afridi - the man of comebacks! Drop him and bring him back

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Enough about Misbah already

Those of you who have been following this series are well aware that it is the largest televised event of competitive mediocrity since Simon Cowell's last show. The question that came to mind while watching Pakistan bat in the first two matches had to do, inevitably, with the captain, Misbah-ul-Haq. Misbah has spent almost all of the last year (and indeed his captaincy) coming in to bat within the first Powerplay; all three openers dismissed, and the score lower than a news channel's sense of ethics. He has then proceeded to play at a very slow pace, and sought to consume deliveries while minimising the risk of further losses. The question therefore was whether this is the only way Misbah can bat, or if he has had no other option but to bat in such a manner. For his fanatical followers, battling in a reactive, defensive style is the only recourse available to him because of the situations he faces. They argue that without Misbah's constant rearguard heroics, the team would keep breaking the record for the lowest conceivable total. They further point out that he has shown his ability in domestic tournaments (and earlier in his career) to play the big shots, and that it's the cruelty of circumstances that prevent him from bringing out this aspect of his batting in the international game. For the multitude of Misbah's detractors, however, the glass is half-empty, poisoned, or perhaps even a figment of the imagination. They claim that Misbah doesn't know to bat any other way, and if he did, he has long forgotten it. They claim that his approach has suffused the team so deeply that erstwhile go-getters like Nasir Jamshed have also tamed their strike rates. And most importantly, they hold Misbah's approach to be the reason for Pakistan's miserable failures of late, arguing that not only is his style killing all flair, but that his approach means that any batsmen coming after him have too much on their hands to try to increase the run rate and don't deliver a competitive score. The debate in Pakistan so far is between one set of people that believes Misbah is the only person holding this terrible team together, versus another set that feels Misbah is the reason the team is so terrible. In essence, Misbah is either the lovely, fragrant overcoat or the tattered, sullied body underneath it. We need to look beyond either crucifying or beatifying Misbah, and think about the reasons that have caused our team, and particularly its batting, to regress so alarmingly. We need to discuss issues of governance in our board, failures in our coaching and management, the sickening approach to selection, and the abdication of responsibility by the ICC and other boards. We need to talk about structural solutions, long-term plans for players and coaches, templates and institutions for guaranteeing success. To debate one player above all else is to be precisely the sort of short-sighted judgemental fools that Abbas exposed so masterfully. For the good of Pakistan cricket, it's about time we looked beyond our overcoats.

http://www.espncricinfo.com/blogs/content/story/653411.html

[Asim]

Afridi - the man of comebacks! Drop him and bring him back

Good suggestion, Pak should drop him for one match after every game so that his each appearance become his 'comeback' game...

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For the love of swagger

In Pakistan, we thoroughly enjoy locking horns with West Indies. Alongside India and England, they are our favourite opponents. We like to see cricketers who have style as well as swagger, whose approach to the game is at once nonchalant and keenly driven. We want to watch cricketers who smile easily and laugh with abandon, cricketers who - like us - carry an air of unpredictability and volatility. Yes, we do have our own team, and despite its ups and downs we love it to bits. But after Pakistan, we find it easiest to cheer for West Indies. Except when we happen to be on the receiving end, we always want to see West Indies win. When our septuagenarian and octogenarian cricket fans narrate their choicest memories of visiting teams, they bring up images of Wes Hall walking back to his unimaginably long run-up, or Garry Sobers brandishing his incredible backlift. There is wistful talk of Lance Gibbs, Conrad Hunte, and Rohan Kanhai. Those were the players with truly effortless mastery over the game, we are told, players who knew how to play as well as to entertain. Australia, India, and New Zealand also visited Pakistan in the 1950s, but the cricketers whose visit gets most longingly recounted are the ones from the West Indies. Nor is this reverence limited to the fans. When great cricketers such as Hanif Mohammad, Imran Khan and Javed Miandad reflect on their most satisfying matches, they go back to epic contests with West Indies. It is often said that West Indies are to cricket what Brazil - with their flair, flamboyance and feats - have been to soccer. In Pakistan, we feel we have been in possession of some of the same flair and flamboyance. Perhaps not as much to be considered the Brazil of cricket, but certainly enough that it helps us identify with a team like West Indies far more than with those such as England, Australia, India or South Africa - better known for method and application. Pakistanis who have been privileged to watch cricket at arenas around the world unanimously agree that the best place to enjoy the game live is in the West Indies. I'm not one of those lucky few, but even sitting in Pakistan and following on television, you can sense the heady atmosphere of West Indian grounds. There are people having a party even as others pay attention to the nuances of every delivery. There are fans cheering and dancing and letting their hair down, and others who stand berating, bemoaning and wailing in despair. Especially these days, when there is no international cricket in Pakistan, the urge to be transported into those West Indian throngs is intense and overpowering. There may not be a particularly fleshed out rivalry between the two teams, but Pakistan's most evenly balanced record happens to be against West Indies. In 46 Tests against them, Pakistan have won 16 and lost 15; and in 125 ODIs, Pakistan have won 54 and lost 68 (in T20 cricket, the two sides have met only once so far). In both Tests and ODIs, Pakistan's win-loss ratios versus West Indies are closer to the parity figure of 1.00 than against any other team. :omg: Contests with West Indies have produced some of Pakistan's most dramatic and closest matches. Including last Friday's game in St Lucia, three Pakistan-West Indies ODIs have ended in a tie; no other pair of ODI teams has tied more often (Australia-West Indies and Australia-South Africa also have three ties each). Pakistan and West Indies have also played four ODIs decided by the narrow margin of one wicket, more than any other pair of opponents (and equalled only by the combination of England-West Indies). There is also general agreement that Pakistan's toughest and most closely fought Test series have taken place against West Indies. During the latter 1980s, when Pakistan's golden era coincided with the historic West Indian peak of international success, the two teams played a three-Test series in Pakistan followed by a repeat in the West Indies, and drew each rubber 1-1. Legends populated the ranks of both teams - Viv Richards, Gordon Greenidge, Malcolm Marshall, Curtly Ambrose, and Courtney Walsh from West Indies; Imran, Miandad, Saleem Malik, Abdul Qadir, and Wasim Akram from Pakistan. Pakistani fans who followed them in real time remain intoxicated to this day by those unforgettable battles. For two decades between 1973 and 1994, when Pakistan were an impenetrable fortress at home, West Indies were the only side to breach their defences and draw blood, securing a Test series victory in the winter of 1980. And between 1976 through 1994, West Indies convincingly won every Test series at home except the 1988 one against Pakistan, the only occasion during their heyday when a visiting side managed to grind out a draw. From those magical days of the 1980s, both teams have experienced a downward twist in fortunes since. Although West Indies have won a Test series in Pakistan, Pakistan are still looking for their inaugural Test series win in the West Indies in five decades. It's a pity that the two Test matches originally included in the itinerary for Pakistan's current West Indian tour were scrapped; the fan base in Pakistan - and presumably in the West Indies - had greatly looked forward to them. The PCB and WICB are equally culpable in this disappointing turn of events. Pakistan's ODI record in the West Indies is much better, with three series wins so far, and the welcome possibility of a fourth if things go Pakistan's way in the final ODI of this series. Despite inconsistent batting from both sides, it has turned out to be a highly absorbing series and that has at least partly compensated for the lack of Test cricket.

Source- Saad Shafqat Pakistanis Have a great Test Record against the Windies. Something that we Indians can only Envy.

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Without rain, game would have been different - Samuels

West Indies batsman Marlon Samuels rued the interference of rain during his team's defeat to Pakistan in the fourth ODI in St Lucia, hinting at the possibility of a different result had the weather held good. A formidable 262-run target, masterminded by Samuels' fifth ODI century, was revised to 189 in 31 overs, which was chased down courtesy rapid fifties from Mohammad Hafeez and Misbah-ul-Haq. "If the rain didn't come today, then definitely we would have been in the driver's seat," Samuels told WICB media after the game. "It was a lot of runs on the board and the Pakistan batting has not been clicking consistently. We know we have quality bowlers, so I think that we could have put some pressure on them today and it would have been a different game." Samuels steered West Indies after a difficult start, playing cautiously to begin with, as was demanded. He added 57 runs with Chris Gayle, who came in at No. 5, to prepare a foundation for a late-order charge that he led himself, having gained confidence from reaching his fifty - his first since his century against Bangladesh in 2012. With Lendl Simmons for company, he smashed his way to a hundred in the next 35 balls. "I had a good talk with Dr Scott Hamilton [West Indies' sports psychologist] and I was trying to refresh my memory of the way my style of play is," Samuels said. "My style of play is give myself a chance and push it around, and then I can definitely make up at the end. I've been doing that job for the past two years and it was just for me to refresh my memory and continue along the road that I was on. "They [Pakistan] have a high-class bowling attack but when I see a bowling attack two or three times, I sum it up properly. I've been watching a lot of tapes with Richard Berridge [video and statistical analyst] and by just summing them up, I realised who I'm going to target and who I'm not going to target and get as much singles as possible, so I batted to a plan today and it actually worked." Rain arrived in the 17th over of the chase and stole over an hour from the game, reducing it to a 31-over sprint. Then, Pakistan captain Misbah and Hafeez's partnership of 72 runs in 55 balls put the game beyond West Indies' reach. "We were looking to exploit the pitch but the rain came early," Misbah said. "It was like a normal T20 game, Hafeez and I wanted to play normal cricketing shots. It was a case of not panicking. We needed eight an over and I had to adjust. The team will gain from the momentum today."

http://www.espncricinfo.com/west-indies-v-pakistan-2013/content/story/654111.html

[carnish]

Steady Misbah steers 3-1 triumph

With his fourth half-century in five games this series, the world's leading ODI run-getter of 2013 shepherded his volatile band of batsmen home in another tricky chase. Misbah-ul-Haq battled falling wickets at the other end, a charged up Tino Best, and a rain interruption as late as the 98th over of the game to take Pakistan to their third successive away bilateral series win over West Indies. Yet again this series, Umar Akmal was called upon to overcome the asking-rate towards the end, and once more, he did not disappoint, delivering the series to Pakistan with a 3-1 margin. Misbah formed partnerships with Ahmed Shehzad, Haris Sohail and Akmal before falling in the last over trying to slog the winning hit, with the scores tied. He had already ensured Pakistan had won the series; a tie would have meant the margin would have been 2-1. When Sohail became the latest profligate Pakistan batsman to fall, chasing a wide Best delivery, Pakistan needed 83 from 12 overs. Best, having conceded 25 off his first three overs, was in the mood for a furious comeback. Pinging down bouncers in the mid-140s, he smacked one into Misbah's fingers. While the storm was being weathered by the captain, Akmal did his act at the other end. The inexperienced Jason Holder was taken for three successive fours in the next over, the 41st, the second of those coming off a poor effort at fine leg from Marlon Samuels. It wasn't the first time West Indies had messed up in the field today, and it wasn't to be the last. Akmal steered a short ball to the fine third man rope next ball. Holder cracked further under pressure, four leg-byes resulting off Misbah's pad down the leg side off the last ball of the over. Misbah managed a four off an inside edge to Sunil Narine next over and held his nerve to reverse-sweep the offspinner for four more. Then arrived the moment which once again highlighted what a farce a watered-down DRS has been in this series, in the absence of HotSpot. West Indies were sure Misbah had gloved a Best bouncer to the keeper down leg, the on-field umpire did not agree, and the third umpire had too much guesswork to do with only replays and sound as tools. Misbah was on 49 then, and Pakistan would have needed 53 of 46 had he been given. Darren Bravo had been given caught-behind on referral on the basis of sound earlier and West Indies had a right to expect consistency. Though Best predictably lost his temper, West Indies were not giving in. Dwayne Bravo, who often disappears for plenty at the death, delivered two tight overs. But Akmal found the big stroke when Pakistan sorely needed it. Narine was cut for four, Best was carted over mid-off for six. A top-edge flew over the keeper for four more, but even as clouds swept in over the stadium, Akmal holed out to mid-off for 37 off 28. A 20-minute break followed but Pakistan were ahead on D/L by five runs, and safe in the knowledge that the series was theirs, in case no further play was possible. Sunshine followed soon, though, and Shahid Afridi weighed in at the hit end of the hit-or-miss scale. Bravo was pulled for six over deep midwicket and punched past point for four. Game over? Not yet. Misbah hit Holder to short midwicket second ball of the final over, and Saeed Ajmal took three deliveries to get bat on ball. Had the throw from mid-on hit, it would have gone down to the final ball. It didn't, and Afridi and Ajmal hugged, as did their team-mates in the Pakistan dressing room. Credit for the win also went to Shehzad, who made his first substantial score of the series, and guided Pakistan's chase amid tight bowling from Narine and Darren Sammy. The pitch eased out further in the second innings. Cutting and pulling without trouble, Nasir Jamshed and Shehzad brought up Pakistan's first 50-run opening stand in 17 innings, excluding a game against Scotland. Trust Pakistan to blow such a rare promising start. Jamshed was stranded for the second game running, Shehzad taking a few steps and stopping this time, after Mohammad Hafeez in the previous game. Hafeez himself got a start and then had a heave at Sammy. However, Shehzad had Misbah to steady things. The opposing captain's cameo had earlier taken his side to to 242 for 7 from 170 for 6. Dwayne Bravo, with 48 off 27, was assisted by his predecessor, Darren Sammy, who made an unbeaten 29 off 18. The West Indies top six never managed any sort of sustained partnership. Two of them, Johnson Charles and Samuels, got forties, but were also the ones who struggled to score the most. Devon Smith fell early yet again. Chris Gayle and Lendl Simmons were unable to convert starts. Junaid Khan was outstanding, barring the last over when Sammy went after him, making a case for him to have played through the series. Mohammad Irfan was unlucky not to break through in his opening spell, but came back even stronger to remove Charles and Samuels. West Indies took 64 from the last five overs, but Misbah's calm and Akmal's aggression were enough to overhaul that.

http://www.espncricinfo.com/west-indies-v-pakistan-2013/content/current/story/654779.html

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Pakistan Win The 5-Match ODI Series 3-1 Thanks To Misbah-Ul-Haq

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ODI SERIES Player of the match: Misbah-ul-Haq Player of the series: Misbah-ul-Haq

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Ramdin dropped from T20 squad

Wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin continued to be left out of West Indies' limited-overs plans, as he was omitted from the 13-man T20 squad for the two-match series against Pakistan. The squad includes Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels, who missed the previous T20 series against Zimbabwe in March due to rest and injury respectively. Besides Ramdin, the only other player dropped is the allrounder Andre Russell. Ramdin was left out of the ODI squad in the ongoing five-match series against Pakistan, leaving the wicketkeeping duties to Johnson Charles. Ramdin has hit only one half-century since his recall to the West Indies one-day side in October 2011, and had been dropped in several recent matches, during the Champions Trophy and the home tri-series which also featured India and Sri Lanka. Kieron Pollard was retained despite his poor limited-overs form in 2013, making six ducks in ODIs. The two matches are scheduled on July 27 and 28 in St Vincent. This will be West Indies' last set of international matches for the season before the inaugural Caribbean Premier League begins on July 30.

http://www.espncricinfo.com/west-indies-v-pakistan-2013/content/current/story/654867.html

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Afridi ODI Batting Average in this series: 25.50 :hehe: Scored 26 runs in last four ODI's :haha:

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West Indies T20 squad

Darren Sammy (capt), Samuel Badree, Christopher Barnwell, Tino Best, Darren Bravo, Dwayne Bravo, Johnson Charles (wk), Shannon Gabriel, Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard, Sunil Narine, Marlon Samuels, Lendl Simmons

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Afridi ODI Batting Average in this series: 25.50 :hehe: Scored 26 runs in last four ODI's :haha:

That is excellent for him coming down at No.6-7