PAK vs WI | Takeaways - Intimidating Windies’ bowling flourish and Mohammad Amir rediscovering his mojo

05/31/2019

Pakistan batting collapsed like ninepins for an awful total of 106 inside 22 overs in their opening game against Windies at Trent Bridge. West Indies bowlers were right on the money and did well to tighten the noose around Pakistan after which, their batsmen gunned down the target with ease.

Intimidating West Indies attack

Prior to the start of the tournament, not many rated Windies as contenders but there was a small group of people, who backed the Caribbean team and tagged as a surprise package. And they didn’t take any time whatsoever to justify the tag and sprung a massive upset by dismantling the Pakistani side for a paltry score of 106.

West Indies have the firepower to re-establish their dominance in ODI cricket to an extent, especially the bowling attack. The likes of Oshane Thomas, Sheldon Cottrell, Shannon Gabriel, Kemar Roach and Andre Russell render bowling a joy to behold and their presence is intimidating at the crease. They have the ingredients to send shivers down the opponents' spine and run through oppositions on their day like they did against Pakistan today.

While Thomas and Cottrell are two well-built bowlers and can have an impact on the batting line-up with their presence and raw pace, Jason Holder goes about his business quietly and inflicts massive damage with his skilful bowling. There was some help from the surface and Windies bowlers exploited it brutally with short-pitched and good length deliveries. They tested Pakistan’s Achilles heels with some lethal short deliveries and rekindled memories of their glorious past, where they did so time and again. Thomas was unstoppable and if he manages to inflict such damage consistently, Windies will certainly find themselves in good positions. They have a fine pool of bowlers to choose from, but the only place they seem to be wanting is the spin department.

Mohammad Amir steps up on the big stage

One wouldn’t believe that Mohammad Amir had just five wickets in his basket in last 15 ODIs barring today’s game. His parched wickets column hurt Pakistan massively and chances of him making it to the World Cup squad were bleak. However, Pakistan persisted with the left-arm pacer and he didn’t disappoint, at least in their opening game of the tournament.

One just cannot overlook his ability to step up on big occasions and his match-winning spell in 2017 Champions Trophy is a fine example of it. Pakistan batsmen did not put up enough runs on the board and their bowlers had hardly anything to fight for. Still, with the surface offering some help, the use of two new balls was always going to be crucial. To everyone’s surprise, Amir weaved magic with the new ball and bagged three wickets to regain some confidence.

His pace was on the up and after getting a wicket, the rhythm looked good. A lot of Pakistan’s success depends on Amir, and his return to form is utmost crucial for Pakistan. Amir finished with figures of 3 for 26 in six overs and posed threats of a different kind, this is also his best figures in ODI cricket since the 2017 Champions Trophy final, which highlights the value of this performance. With Amir finding his zone and English conditions set to support his style of bowling, Pakistan batsmen need to step up and get runs on board in the matches to come.

Chris Gayle the force to be reckoned

Despite being in the twilight of his career, the year 2019 has revealed a different version of Chris Gayle. He was in blistering form in the ODI series against England and did well to live up to the expectations in the IPL. Coming to the World Cup, Gayle was always tipped to pose a massive threat on the back of his form and he didn’t disappoint in the opening game.

Chasing such a modest total was never going to be a threat for the Windies, but negotiation the new ball was always going to be a challenge. Gayle held nothing back and followed the template that has worked for him in recent times – attacked from the word go. Gayle plundered a 34-ball 50 and made a mockery of Pakistan’s bowling before Amir got the better of him. The big strokes were coming off cleanly and Gayle struck with unmatched confidence. Such impactful was his hitting that his inability to sneak quick singles didn’t hamper his progress at all.

The southpaw holds the key to Windies’ success at the top, he has the experience and a blazing start at the top will only set the tempo. The thing with Gayle is, he makes batting looks easy, which eases off the pressure from the rest of the line-up. Windies have created a massive upset in the opening game itself, expect them to spring more as the tournament progresses.