Victory at last!

West Indies beat Pakistan on D/L Method in rain-hit ODI

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC):

Dwayne Bravo struck a long-hop from Shahid Afridi high over midwicket for six before rain interrupted to soothe West Indies' ailing pride, with a one-run victory over Pakistan under the Duckworth-Lewis (D/L) Method in the fourth one-day international (ODI) yesterday.

West Indies finished on 154 for four from 29.5 overs - the total required under the D/L Method - to claim their first victory in the five-match series, and over a Test side other than Bangladesh since June 2009.

The result also ended a run of eight straight defeats for West Indies in this form of the game by Pakistan and a recent run of six successive defeats against all opposition, stretching back to their penultimate match in the recent World Cup against England.

They owe much to Lendl Simmons. He struck four fours and three sixes in a breezy 76 from 70 deliveries to put them on the right trajectory.

Rain delays before and during the West Indies' innings, left the hosts to chase 223 for victory from 39 overs, after Mohammad Hafeez struck his second ODI hundred of 121 to propel Pakistan to 248 for nine from the allocation of 50 overs.

West Indies were then set back early, when Kirk Edwards was caught behind off Junaid Khan for a one-ball duck in the second over.

But Darren Bravo joined Simmons and they blistered the Pakistan attack, roughing up newcomer Tanvir Ahmed in particular, whose fourth over cost 20, which included three fours and one six.

They added 56 to get West Indies moving in the right direction before the younger Bravo gifted his wicket to Khan, slicing a rising delivery to third man in the ninth over. He made 21.

The modest Labour Day holiday crowd that defied the weather welcomed Ramnaresh Sarwan with rapturous applause; and it was evident from his 56-ball 28 that his steadying influence had been sorely lacking in the three previous matches.

He shepherded Simmons to his 50 and put on a valuable 75 for the third wicket before he lofted a drive off Hafeez and was caught at long off in the 25th over.

Simmons fell in the next over caught on the cover boundary off Tanvir to leave West Indies 135 for four, but the weather grew bleaker with every passing second and Bravo responded to signals from West Indies captain Darren Sammy and coach Ottis Gibson to jam his foot down hard on the accelerator.

Bravo took maximum advantage of the third delivery in the 30th over from Afridi and two balls later, the skies opened and deposited their showery load.

SCOREBOARD

PAKISTAN (maximum 50 overs)

Mohammad Hafeez b Bishoo 121Ahmed Shehzad c D.J. Bravo b Roach 6Asad Shafiq c Simmons b D.J. Bravo 71Shahid Afridi c Rampaul b Roach 8Misbah-ul-Haq b Bishoo 5Hammad Azam c Roach b Bishoo 1Usman Salahuddin run out (Simmons/Roach/+Baugh) 5Mohammad Salman run out (Edwards) 0Tanvir Ahmed b D.J. Bravo 18Saeed Ajmal not out 2Junaid Khan not out 1Extras (lb1, w5, nb1) 7TOTAL (9 wkts, 50 overs) 248

Fall of wickets: 1-15 (Ahmed Shehzad, 4.3 overs); 2-168 (Asad Shafiq, 38.2); 3-182 (Shahid Afridi, 40.4); 4-210 (Misbah-ul-Haq, 43.5); 5-219 (Mohammad Hafeez, 45.1); 6-220 (Hammad Azam, 45.4); 7-220 (+Mohammad Salman, 46.1); 8-236 (Usman Salahuddin, 48.4); 9-244 (Tanvir Ahmed, 49.3)

Bowling: Roach 10-0-67-2 (nb1, w1); Rampaul 10-2-37-0 (w1); D.J. Bravo 10-0-60-2 (w2);Sammy 10-0-46-0 (w1); Bishoo 10-0-37-3

WEST INDIES (target: 154 off 29.5 overs)

L. Simmons c Salahuddin b Tanvir Ahmed 76

K. Edwards c wkpr Mohammad Salman b Junaid Khan0D.M. Bravo c Tanvir Ahmed b Junaid Khan 21R. Sarwan c Junaid Khan b Mohammad Hafeez 28M. Samuels not out 8D.J. Bravo not out 11Extras (w9, nb1) 10TOTAL (4 wkts, 29.5 overs) 154

D. Sammy, +C. Baugh, K. Roach, D. Bishoo, R. Rampaul did not bat

Fall of wickets: 1-1 (Edwards, 0.2 overs); 2-57 (D.M. Bravo, 8.4); 3-132 (Sarwan, 24.3); 4-135 (Simmons, 25.4)

Bowling: Junaid Khan 6-0-26-2 (w1); Tanvir Ahmed 6-0-45-1 (nb1);Shahid Afridi 6.5-0-32-0 (w7); Saeed Ajmal 4-0-16-0; Mohammad Hafeez 6-0-26-1 (w1); Hammad Azam 1-0-9-0

Result: West Indies won by one run (D/L Method)

Series: Pakistan lead five-match series 3-1

Toss: West Indies

Man-of-the-Match: Mohammad Hafeez (Pakistan)

Umpires: A. de Silva, P. Nero

Match referee: J. Crowe

TV umpire: J. Wilson

Reserve umpire: N. Malcolm.