Debutant Shadab's guile floors West Indies

Sun, Mar 26, '17

In a nutshell
For arguably the two most volatile sides in world cricket, this was a rare predictable day as Pakistan eased to a six-wicket win over the West Indies at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown. Pakistan won the toss, bowled first and stifled the hosts with spin. Chasing 112, Pakistan, as if to stay true to their reputation, lost three top three cheaply, before Shoaib Malik and Babar Azam took control of the chase and steered them home.
The game was dominated by its youngest player: 18-year old Pakistan legspinner Shadab Khan who enjoyed a debut that bordered on the surreal. He took three wickets with his first eight balls in international cricket as West Indies slumped to 49 for 6. Carlos Brathwaite and Kieron Pollard came together, and two of the game's most fearsome hitters were forced to play a consolidating role. Brathwaite managed to inject some momentum in the closing overs, but all that ensured was his sidejust about managed to get to three figures.
Pakistan weren't authoritative in response, with Kamran Akmal and Ahmd Shehzad reminding everyone why they have spent long stints in international wilderness. However, with the asking rate never rising above six, West Indies' spirited display in the field merely delayed the inevitable.

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