Hasan Nawaz sparkles as Pakistan score 5-wicket ODI win over West Indies

SAN FERNANDO (Agencies): Hasan Nawaz made a triumphant one-day international (ODI) debut, going 63 not out on Friday to power Pakistan over the West Indies by five wickets in their ODI series opener. Nawaz and Hussain Talat formed a sixth-wicket partnership of 104 not out to rally the visitors in the day-night affair, with game two on Sunday and the concluder on Tuesday. West Indies went 280 all out with Evin Lewis leading the way on 60 from 62 balls with three sixes and five fours while Shai Hope added 55 and Roston Chase contributed 53. Needing 281 to win, Pakistan got 53 runs from Mohammad Rizwan before he was bowled lbw by Shamar Joseph in the 38th over with the visitors still 101 runs shy of victory, setting the stage for heroics by Nawaz and Talat. Nawaz struck for six on the second ball of the 49th over and blasted the winning shot to the boundary off the final delivery by Joseph, giving Pakistan the victory with seven balls to spare. In all, Nawaz reached 63 on 54 balls with three sixes and five fours while Talat finished on 41 from 37 balls with one six and four fours. Pakistan won the toss and sent the hosts in to bat first, a choice that paid quick dividends when Brandon King was taken for four on the fifth ball of the opening over, bowled by Shaheen Shah Afridi — his first of four wickets — and caught by Babar Azam off stump. Lewis exited on the last ball of the 19th over, bowled by Saim Ayub and caught by Afridi. West Indies captain Hope was bowled by Afridi and caught by Rizwan on the second ball of the 41st over, leaving the hosts on 200 for five. Romario Shepherd was sent off on four on the last ball of the 43rd over. Chase made the third half-century for the West Indies with a boundary but went out on the next ball, caught by Azam and bowled by Naseem Shah, who also bowled out Gudakesh Motie and Jediah Blades on the last two Pakistan deliveries.

Brief scores:

Pakistan 284 for 5 (Nawaz 63 not out, Rizwan 53, Talat 41 not out, Joseph 2-65) beat West Indies 280 (Lewis 60, Hope 55, Chase 53, Afridi 4-51, Naseem 3-55) by five wickets.