WI vs PAK | Saim Ayub’s all-round show helps Pakistan pip West Indies in Lauderhill

‌West Indies’ woes in T20Is continued as the side suffered their sixth consecutive loss in the format in Lauderhill, Florida. Saim Ayub’s all-round performance helped Pakistan beat the Windies by 14 runs on Friday to start their white-ball tour with a win. The opener top-scored in the match with a 38-ball 57 to guide Pakistan to 178/6 in their 20 overs before returning figures of 2/20 with the ball as the visitors restricted the Caribbean unit to 164/7.

After being put into bat first at the Central Broward Regional Park Stadium Turf Ground, Pakistan got off to a quick start with Sahibzada Farhan hitting two boundaries in the first two overs from Jediah Blades and Jason Holder, respectively. Saim Ayub welcomed Akeal Hosein into the attack with two boundaries in his first two balls in the next over. However, Shamar Joseph broke the opening partnership, trapping Farhan in front with just his second ball of the match. But Pakistan got some momentum with Ayub and new batter Fakhar Zaman hitting a four and a six off Joseph in the last over of the powerplay as the score read 46/1. Ayub greeted Blades back, hitting two sixes to plunder 20 runs in the left-arm pacer’s second over to take the visitors past the 100-run mark in the 11th over. But the opener’s dismissal, after hitting five fours and two sixes, off Holder in the next over, put the brakes on their scoring. The Men in Green, despite having eight wickets in hand, could manage only 70 runs in the last eight overs. Hasan Nawaz’s 18-ball 24 and a last-ball six from wicketkeeper batter Mohammad Haris helped them set a challenging target of 179 with pacer Joseph ending with figures of 3/30 in four overs.

In reply, the West Indies started well with opener Jewel Andrew (35) hitting a four and a six off left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz in the second over to set the chase rolling. Johnson Charles (35) repeated the feat in pacer Haris Rauf’s first over as the home side ended the powerplay on a strong note at 47/0. But the introduction of left-arm wrist spinner Sufiyan Muqeem from one end, with Nawaz being brought back from the other, put the pressure back on the hosts. Both openers were guilty of playing too many dot balls, as only a single boundary came in the next five overs between six and 11. The lack of runs soon turned into a collapse of sorts as the Windies lost both openers and Gudakesh Motie in Nawaz’s final over, with the spinner finishing with impressive figures of 3/23 in four overs. With spin reaping rewards and the equation locked at 104 off the last eight overs, Pakistan captain introduced off-spinner Ayub. He dismissed Windies skipper Shai Hope in his first over before sending back Sherfane Rutherford, despite conceding 16 runs, in his next. The home side’s hopes started fading when Muqeem castled Romario Shepherd, to end his cameo, in his final over. The Men in Maroon were in free-fall mode as they slipped from 72/0 to 110/7 in the gap of just five overs. Though Holder and Joseph built an unbeaten 54-run partnership for the eighth wicket in only 23 balls, it was too late for a revival. The former Windies captain smashes four sixes in his 12-ball 30, while Joseph scored 21 off 12 balls with two sixes and a four as West Indies fell short of the target by 14 runs.