GROS ISLET, St. Lucia, (Reuters) – A confident century from opener Ahmed Shehzad guided Pakistan to another comfortable win over West Indies today, giving the tourists a 2-0 lead in their five match one-day international series.
The World Cup semi-finalists cruised to victory by seven wickets with 12 balls to spare and never looked in danger of letting Darren Sammy’s West Indies side get close to leveling up the series.
It was another poor batting display for West Indies, who were bowled out for just 220 from their allotted 50 overs as the Caribbean batsmen once again struggled against Pakistan’s spinners.
Eight of the West Indian batsmen made double figures but opener Lendl Simmons was the only one to go on and make at least a half-century.
He carved out 51 off 48 balls but lacked support from the other top-order batsmen. The next best was Jamaican Marlon Samuels, who made a pedestrian 29 off 74 deliveries before he was bowled by medium-pacer Hammad Azam, one of four Pakistan bowlers who collected two wickets.
The pick of the bowlers was off-spinner Saeed Ajmal, who claimed the scalps of Dwayne Bravo and Devandra Bishoo while giving up just 23 runs from his ten overs.
There was some late resistance from the tail with Kemar Roach making a handy 24, which at least gave himself and the other West Indies bowlers some kind of total to try and defend.
But Pakistan played smartly and patiently against some tidy West Indian bowling, Mohammed Hafeez (32) and Shehzad putting on 66 for the opening wicket in 18.2 overs and then Asad Shafiq made 23 before he was run out.
Misbah-ul-Haq (43 not out) then took on the role of supporting Shezhad, who took Pakistan close to victory before he was stumped off leg-spinner Bishoo, having made 102 from 148 balls with seven fours and a solitary six.
It was 19-year-old Shezhad’s second ODI century following his 115 against New Zealand in Hamilton in February.
Bishoo’s 10 over spell of two for 36 was further evidence of his promise but West Indies, who left out experienced batsmen Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul and allowed Chris Gayle and Kieron Pollard to play in the Indian Premier League, will now have to make some tricky choices for the remaining three games.
The next two ODI games are at the Kensington Oval in Barbados on Thursday and Monday.
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