Nottingham: Pakistan crashed to their second-lowest total in the World Cup as their encounter against West Indies ended as one of the shortest encounters in this version of the contest. West Indies completed a 106-run chase in just 82 balls to thrash Pakistan in their opening match as Chris Gayle took his tournament haul of sixes to a record breaking 38.
In a spell of fast bowling more suited to Test cricket of the 80s, the Windies stuck to a length that kept pushing Pakistan back. The batsmen, in turn, just didn’t have the technique to take on the pacers on a wicket that helped fast bowlers. But at the end of the day, it was the bouncer that did it.
Oshane Thomas, a raw 22-year-old Jamaican, led the way on paper at least with four wickets; Captain Jason Holder overcame an indifferent early spell to snare three, but it was Andre Russell’s peppering of the Pakistan armpits that first ignited the gunpowder.
The West Indies knocked off the trifling total with style: Chris Gayle belted three sixes on the way to silencing the partisan crowd of local Asians inside 14 overs. Going into the tournament as one of the most unpredictable sides, Pakistan failed to turn their fate as the Windies players walked off with grins on their face after finishing the Pakistan innings in just 21.4 overs.