West Indies skipper Nicholas Pooran weaved magic with the ball in the third ODI against Pakistan in Multan on Sunday, bagging four wickets in an inspiring spell of off-spin bowling.
Pakistan, having already registered clinical wins in the first two ODIs of the three-match home series against West Indies, began strongly in the third on Sunday, after having opted to bat. Openers Fakhar Zaman and Imam-ul-Haq put on a steady 85 for the first wicket in 16.4 overs, both looking primed for a big score. However, both were undone by an unlikely bowling hero.
In an unexpected move, West Indies skipper Nicholas Pooran brought himself onto bowl gentle right-arm off-breaks from round the wicket to the left-handers. He found genuine turn in the first over itself, in what was the second instance of him bowling in international cricket, after having sent down three balls in an ODI against Australia in Barbados last year.
He produced a moment of success on the fourth ball of his third over, as Zaman played all-around a full, loopy ball angled in, missing the sweep shot completely to see his stumps rattled.
Pooran, who had kept wickets in the series opener, before Shai Hope took over the glovework duties, let out a loud roar in celebration after having baggeed his maiden international wicket.
Babar Azam was trapped leg-before by wrist-spinner Hayden Walsh Jr in the very next over – a rare failure for the top-ranked batter in the format currently.
Imam, meanwhile, registered his seventh straight 50-plus score in ODIs. That’s a record now, only bettered by former Pakistan great and 1992 World Cup winner Javed Miandad, who had nine such scores between March and October 1997.
However, he failed to convert that into a three-digit score yet again, becoming Pooran’s second victim not long after. Imam top-edged an attempted slog-sweep of a full-length delivery, and the ball lobbed high enough for Hope to run behind and complete the catch. A ball later, Pooran had right-hander Mohammad Harris caught by Akeal Hosein at backward point to make it three.
Mohammad Rizwan too, fell to Pooran, getting a toe edge off an attempted cut through to the keeper – a dismissal which was made possible with a successful review from the fielding side.
Watch the dismissals here:
First international wicket for West Indies skipper Nicholas Pooran ☝️
End of a fine opening stand ⚡#PAKvWI | #KhelAbhiBaqiHai pic.twitter.com/ltXA9PZ9eP
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) June 12, 2022
Imam-ul-Haq’s scores this series:
65, 72, 62He is dismissed after another stellar contribution 💫#PAKvWI | #KhelAbhiBaqiHai pic.twitter.com/XxwLdDyzxs
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) June 12, 2022
The hosts were 119/5 from 25 overs at the time of writing.
