ICC has got to devise a cautionary warning. Games like these are severely injurious to health. I am gasping. Crucial points to prevent a sort of relegation in with the Windies. But there are two more of these to go. If today was anything to go by, they are not meant for the faint hearted. Okay, I’ve been Vineet Anantharaman gladly bringing you this encounter in the company of Abhinand Raghavendran and Krishna. Order placed – an oxygen pump off Amazon. Ta ta!!
Jason Holder: “It was a big total. They started off nicely and finished off reasonably well. Jason Mohammed played brilliantly and was equally well supported by Nurse in the end. 300 was always a daunting task, we knew where we had to be at every stage. Evin Lewis played a crucial knock and Powell came and settled things in the middle. But in the end, the explosion was fantastic. Slightly disappointed with my shot, was trying to go over the top but couldn’t. The mindset for us is to remain positive and would look to take it forward to the next two games as well. These points are very crucial for us going forward.”
Jason Mohammed, Man of the Match: “It is nice to be back with the West Indies. I made my debut back in 2011, so always nice to come back. We never gave up and always believed till the end. I would like to thank the support staff for their constant support. We had to keep up a certain tempo in the chase and getting the spinners away was difficult with the slowness of the track. Hence was looking to target the seamers for the runs at the end. I get my power mainly from the bats I use (chuckles).”
Sarfraz: “It was a tough match. We set a good score but credit to the way they batted. Especially the way Mohammed came in and batted. I thought 308 was a decent score, but with the bowling we have, it should have been defended. We would try not to repeat the mistakes we made today and would like to bounce back the next time around.”
Do take a moment to grab your breath back. And hang in there for the presentations.
Five specialist bowlers with the Pakistanis, two handy part timers, but in the end, it all just fell apart. They seemed completely lost by what had hit them. And they have every reason to. With 128 runs needed off the final 13 overs, and some of the best exponents of death bowling in the world at your disposal, you really do not expect to come second. Not quite today. With Ashley Nurse as well getting into the act and smoking some pipes out of the Providence, the overhaul seemed just apt. The celebrations that followed were reminiscent of those a year earlier at the Eden.
Mark this date guys. The stars are out minting money in India, this is a side that has missed out on a Champions Trophy berth, this is the side struggling for an automatic qualification at the World Cup, staring down the barrel at one stage, pulling off an utter heist. Right under the owner’s nose. The Windies had no business at the halfway stage, with Powell and Lewis going nowhere with the chase. But a certain Jason Mohammed, bringing in all the luck and the timing with his power has literally arm-wrestled against the entire Pakistani side. And won
