Shadab stars in Pak’s win over Windies

Bridgetown, March 27 

Shadab Khan produced an outstanding debut performance as Pakistan completed a comfortable six-wicket victory over West Indies in the first fixture of a four-match T20I at Kensington Oval. Put in to bat on a bright, breezy afternoon, the world champion hosts were restricted to 111/8 in their allotted 20 overs with the tourists knocking off the runs with almost three overs to spare to extend their T20 winning streak over their rivals to four following a 3-0 sweep in the United Arab Emirates last September. 

Shoaib Malik’s unbeaten 38 and a 46-run fourth-wicket partnership with Babar Azam ensured Pakistan reached their target with relative comfort. Brought on as the fifth bowler, the 18-year-old Shadab’s mesmerising mixture of leg-breaks and googlies earned him figures of 3/7, the most economical ever in the history of T20 Internationals by a debutant in a complete four-over spell. “I gained a lot of confidence from my performance in this year’s Pakistan Super League,” said Shadab. 

Brief scores: West Indies: 111/8 (Brathwaite 34*, Shadab 3/7); Pakistan: 115/4 (Malik 38*, Azam 29, Holder 2/27). — AFP