A DESTRUCTIVE batting display backed by career best bowling figures from Man of the Match Shahid ‘Boom Boom’ Afridi and a patient half century from skipper Misbah Ul Haq, powered Pakistan to an enthralling 126 run victory over the West Indies at the Guyana

National Stadium, Providence, yesterday.
Scores in the match Pakistan- 224 for 9 from 50 overs West Indies 98 all out off 41 overs.
A near packed to capacity Sunday crowd turned out to cheer the home team on and had every reason to do so, when Jason Holder (4 for 13) rocked Pakistan’s top order to leave them tottering on 23 for 4 after Dwayne Bravo won the toss and chose to field first in slightly overcast conditions.
Ahmed Shehzad (05), Mohammed Hafeez (01), Nasir Jamshed (06) and Asad Shafiq (00) were all back in the pavilion before rain stopped play at 09:56hrs with Pakistan on 23 for 4 off 9.1 overs and Holder on a high.
On the resumption of play 30 minutes later, Holder and Darren Sammy, who was playing his 99th ODI for the Windies, kept the Pakistanis in check with some tight bowling, with Umar Akmal surviving a confident appeal for a catch at the wicket off Holder, as the visitors went scoreless for 4.3 overs.
Akmal broke the shackles with a six over squareleg off Sammy, before he was caught by Dwayne Bravo who ran back from mid-on to take the catch at long on, when he looked to hit Kemar Roach over that area at 47 for 5.
Then entered the hard hitting Afridi and immediately the 33 year old right hander took the fight to the West Indians, belting sixes all around the fastest drying cricket venue in South America, as he added 120 for the sixth wicket with a patient looking Misbah Ul Haq.
Roach was sent crashing over long on for the first of Afridi’s five sixes, which also brought up Pakistan’s 50 at the end of 21 overs and he followed it up with another six over wide long on and a four through point off Dwayne Bravo, before he was given a chance by a leaping Christopher Gayle at wide third slip.
Afridi reached his 36th half century in ODIs from 35 deliveries with three sixes and five fours and celebrated with two more sixes, before he was caught by Sammy at deep midwicket off Kieron Pollard at 167 for 6, leaving Misbah, whose contribution to their healthy partnership was just 28, on 35.
Misbah later reached his 27th half century from 120 deliveries with one four, before he was caught at the wicket by Johnson Charles off Dwayne Bravo.
Wahab Riaz (06), Misbah (52) and Asad Ali (11) followed Afridi back into the pavilion, but Saeed Ajmal and Mohammad Irfan who were unbeaten on 15 and 4 respectively, saw Pakistan to their final score, as Roach and Dwayne Bravo took 2 wickets for 37 and 52 runs, in support to Holder.
Mohammed Irfan rocked the West Indies reply with the wickets of Charles (00) and Darren Bravo (05) and when Misbah ul Haq’s direct hit from cover accounted for Gayle (01) who was called through for a cheeky single by Marlon Samuels, the West Indies were shaking on 7 for 3.
If Pakistan’s 23 for 4 was anything to smile about for the home team, then imagine the faces of the Pakistanis at the venue and in their capital city of Lahore, with the news of the West Indies being 41 for 5 in the 23rd over, as Afridi sent back Lendl Simmons (10) and Dwayne Bravo off successive deliveries.
West Indies laboured to their 50 from 25.4 overs with Samuels on 25 and Pollard 3, but lost Pollard who was caught at long off by Riaz off Afridi, Samuels adjudged lbw with a quick leg break in his next over, and Roach who punched one back to the former Pakistan captain, leaving the West Indies on 55 for 8.
Sammy and Narine (14) added a face saving 43 for the ninth wicket, but Afridi returned to remove Narine who hit one back to him and Holder in the 41st over, leaving Sammy unbeaten on 21 to end with career best figures of 7 for 12, as Irfan offered support with his 2 for 17 and Pakistan romped to a series opening 126 run victory.
The two sides will meet in the second ODI at the same venue tomorrow, before moving to St. Lucia to complete their five match series, which is being complemented by two T20s.

Scorecard
Pakistan Innings
N. Jamshed lbw Holder 06
A. Shehzad b Holder 5
M. Hafeez b Holder 01
Misbah ul Haq c Charles b DJ Bravo 52
A. Shafiq c wkpr Charles b Holder 00
U. Akmal c DJ Bravo b Roach 19
S. Afridi c Sammy b Pollard 76
W. Riaz c Holder b Roach 06
S. Ajmal not out 15
A. Ali b DJ Bravo 11
M. Irfan not out 04
Extras (b2, w23, lb4) 29
Total (for 9 wickets off 50 overs) 224
Fall of wickets: 1-15, 2-18, 3-21, 4-23, 5-47, 6-167, 7-183, 8-200, 9-220
Bowling: Roach 10-0-37-2 (2w), Holder 10-4-13-4 (w1), Sammy 8-2-35-0, DJ Bravo 10-3-52-2 (4w), Narine 3-0-32-0 (4w), Samuels 3-0-24-0 (4w), Pollard 6-0-25-1 (2w)

West Indies Innings
C. Gayle run out (Misbah Ul Haq) 01
J. Charles b Irfan 00
DM Bravo c Akmal b Irfan 05
M. Samuels lbw Afridi 25
L. Simmons stp Akmal b Afridi 10
DJ Bravo lbw Afridi 00
K. Pollard c Riaz b Afridi 03
D. Sammy not out 21
K. Roach c&b Afridi 01
S. Narine c Jamshed b Afridi 14
J. Holder lbw Afridi 00
Extras: (lb6, w11, b1) 18
Total (all out off 41 overs) 98
Fall of wickets: 1-1, 2-7, 3-7, 4-41, 5-41, 6-50, 7-51, 8-55, 9-98, 10-98
Bowling: Irfan 7-2-17-2 (3w), Ali 5-0-13-0, Riaz 5-1-8-0, Ajmal 7-0-25-0 (2w), Hafeez 8-0-16-0 (1w), Afridi 9-3-12-7