164/7 (20.0)
CR : 8.20
178/6 (20.0)
CR : 8.90
Pakistan won by 14 runs 🏆
Player of the Match
Saim Ayub
2/2057(38)
PAK won by 14 runs
9:16 AM IST, 11:46 PM Local Time: West Indies' struggles in T20 Internationals continue, with their losing streak now stretching to six matches. After suffering a humiliating 0–5 series whitewash at home against Australia, they have now fallen short by 14 runs in the opening match of the three-match series against Pakistan.
Earlier, after being asked to bat first, Pakistan posted a competitive total of 178/6 in 20 overs. Young opener Saim Ayub was the standout performer with a fluent 57 off 38 deliveries, striking five fours and two sixes. He shared a valuable 81-run stand for the second wicket with Fakhar Zaman, who chipped in with a handy 28 off 24 balls.
The innings gained early momentum despite the loss of Sahibzada Farhan (14), but Pakistan lost wickets at regular intervals after the halfway mark. Hasan Nawaz chipped in with 24 runs during the middle phase, while Faheem Ashraf contributed a quickfire 16 off 9 balls. Captain Salman Agha remained unbeaten on 11, and Mohammad Haris launched a six off the final ball of the innings to push Pakistan’s total past the 175-run mark.
For West Indies, Shamar Joseph was the pick of the bowlers, returning 3/30 in his 4 overs, while Akeal Hosein, Romario Shepherd, and Jason Holder picked up a wicket each
In reply, Johnson Charles and Jewel Andrew made a promising start, adding 47 runs in the powerplay. However, as the innings progressed, the scoring rate dipped and pressure began to mount on them.
The spinners made the West Indies batters work hard for their runs, and Mohammad Nawaz broke the 72-run opening stand, removing Charles (35 off 36), Andrew (35 off 33), and Gudakesh Motie (0) in a single over to put the hosts in a spot of bother. Shai Hope (2 off 5) followed suit in the very next over, with Saim Ayub striking in his first over to dismiss the Windies skipper, as the hosts lost four wickets in the blink of an eye.
West Indies continued to lose wickets at regular intervals, and although Jason Holder's brisk unbeaten 30 off 12 balls offered a late glimmer of hope, it came too late as the hosts could only manage 164/7 in their 20 overs.
Mohammad Nawaz shone with the ball for Men in Green, claiming three wickets for just 23 runs in his 4 overs. Saim Ayub chipped in with a couple of wickets, while Shaheen Afridi and Sufiyan Muqeem contributed one wicket each to the downfall.
Stay tuned for the presentation…..
Earlier, after being asked to bat first, Pakistan posted a competitive total of 178/6 in 20 overs. Young opener Saim Ayub was the standout performer with a fluent 57 off 38 deliveries, striking five fours and two sixes. He shared a valuable 81-run stand for the second wicket with Fakhar Zaman, who chipped in with a handy 28 off 24 balls.
The innings gained early momentum despite the loss of Sahibzada Farhan (14), but Pakistan lost wickets at regular intervals after the halfway mark. Hasan Nawaz chipped in with 24 runs during the middle phase, while Faheem Ashraf contributed a quickfire 16 off 9 balls. Captain Salman Agha remained unbeaten on 11, and Mohammad Haris launched a six off the final ball of the innings to push Pakistan’s total past the 175-run mark.
For West Indies, Shamar Joseph was the pick of the bowlers, returning 3/30 in his 4 overs, while Akeal Hosein, Romario Shepherd, and Jason Holder picked up a wicket each
In reply, Johnson Charles and Jewel Andrew made a promising start, adding 47 runs in the powerplay. However, as the innings progressed, the scoring rate dipped and pressure began to mount on them.
The spinners made the West Indies batters work hard for their runs, and Mohammad Nawaz broke the 72-run opening stand, removing Charles (35 off 36), Andrew (35 off 33), and Gudakesh Motie (0) in a single over to put the hosts in a spot of bother. Shai Hope (2 off 5) followed suit in the very next over, with Saim Ayub striking in his first over to dismiss the Windies skipper, as the hosts lost four wickets in the blink of an eye.
West Indies continued to lose wickets at regular intervals, and although Jason Holder's brisk unbeaten 30 off 12 balls offered a late glimmer of hope, it came too late as the hosts could only manage 164/7 in their 20 overs.
Mohammad Nawaz shone with the ball for Men in Green, claiming three wickets for just 23 runs in his 4 overs. Saim Ayub chipped in with a couple of wickets, while Shaheen Afridi and Sufiyan Muqeem contributed one wicket each to the downfall.
Stay tuned for the presentation…..
Biggest T20I Wins For Pakistan Against West Indies (by Runs)
143 runs in Karachi, April 2018
82 runs in Karachi, 2018
63 runs in Karachi, 2021
16 runs in Dubai, 2016
14 runs in Lauderhill, 2025 (TONIGHT)
143 runs in Karachi, April 2018
82 runs in Karachi, 2018
63 runs in Karachi, 2021
16 runs in Dubai, 2016
14 runs in Lauderhill, 2025 (TONIGHT)
Time for the post-match presentation...
Player of the Match: Saim Ayub
Saim Ayub (POTM): "Yeah, first of all, it was a challenging wicket to bat on. It was in our minds to get partnerships and not panic.
Yeah, we planned too much. But we are also flexible in plans. We have to be flexible based on conditions, what shots we are playing and what strategy they are going to make against us. It is about make that challenge easy for us and understand what to apply.
It was challenging that the pitch limits your shots. You have to focus and don't panic because of such conditions.
Whatever role my team demands from me. But that was not my best bowling, I will try to improve."
Yeah, we planned too much. But we are also flexible in plans. We have to be flexible based on conditions, what shots we are playing and what strategy they are going to make against us. It is about make that challenge easy for us and understand what to apply.
It was challenging that the pitch limits your shots. You have to focus and don't panic because of such conditions.
Whatever role my team demands from me. But that was not my best bowling, I will try to improve."
Shai Hope (West Indies Captain): "I wouldn’t say it was a horrible display, but we definitely could’ve kept things tighter. We’ve got ourselves to blame to some extent — a few balls slipped through the legs, and we didn’t chase down some others as hard as we should’ve. Overall, I don’t think our bowling let us down; it was more the batting where we struggled a bit today.
Well, you see, what Saim Ayub and Fakhar were doing in the middle — especially with both left-handers at the crease — was quite effective. We didn’t want to give them too much to work with, but I thought Roston Chase bowled really well to both of them.
I didn’t realize how much the ball was spinning until they bowled from the other end. It’s something we might need to consider — getting more spinners into the game. But at the end of the day, I’d say it comes down to the batters. We had the game in our hands.
We obviously wanted to prevent their spinners from settling in during the middle overs. The plan was to let Johnson go hard at the top, and then look to build from there — maybe go with Motie at 3 with the potential to push on. But unfortunately, after that, Jewel was the next to go. He was trying to get into his innings a bit quicker, but it just didn’t come off for him today. The aim was to block that middle-over burst and settle things down, but once the spinners got into their rhythm, they really put us under pressure, and it became difficult to claw our way back.
I just think we need to lift our game. We have to learn from our mistakes quickly, have those important discussions without delay, and ensure that what we're planning in the meeting rooms translates onto the field. It's important to keep communicating, yes — but now it's time to back it up with action."
Well, you see, what Saim Ayub and Fakhar were doing in the middle — especially with both left-handers at the crease — was quite effective. We didn’t want to give them too much to work with, but I thought Roston Chase bowled really well to both of them.
I didn’t realize how much the ball was spinning until they bowled from the other end. It’s something we might need to consider — getting more spinners into the game. But at the end of the day, I’d say it comes down to the batters. We had the game in our hands.
We obviously wanted to prevent their spinners from settling in during the middle overs. The plan was to let Johnson go hard at the top, and then look to build from there — maybe go with Motie at 3 with the potential to push on. But unfortunately, after that, Jewel was the next to go. He was trying to get into his innings a bit quicker, but it just didn’t come off for him today. The aim was to block that middle-over burst and settle things down, but once the spinners got into their rhythm, they really put us under pressure, and it became difficult to claw our way back.
I just think we need to lift our game. We have to learn from our mistakes quickly, have those important discussions without delay, and ensure that what we're planning in the meeting rooms translates onto the field. It's important to keep communicating, yes — but now it's time to back it up with action."
Agha Salman (Pakistan Captain): "I think it was a great game. We assessed the conditions really well. When it comes to batting and we finished it well. When it comes to bowling, we were good in the middle overs, spinners coming in and taking wickets.
I think we bowled well in the first 10 overs, although we didn't get any wickets. We controlled the game. Once the spinners get that grip and spin, they bowled well. In the 11th or 12th over, we took three wickets and I think that was the turning point of the game.
After the first innings, I knew once the ball gets older, it gets difficult against spin. I wanted to bowl all the spinners in the middle overs and let them play.
It was same, slow and gripping. Once the ball got older, it was difficult. When you had a set batter in, it was easy but it was difficult for the new batters coming in."
I think we bowled well in the first 10 overs, although we didn't get any wickets. We controlled the game. Once the spinners get that grip and spin, they bowled well. In the 11th or 12th over, we took three wickets and I think that was the turning point of the game.
After the first innings, I knew once the ball gets older, it gets difficult against spin. I wanted to bowl all the spinners in the middle overs and let them play.
It was same, slow and gripping. Once the ball got older, it was difficult. When you had a set batter in, it was easy but it was difficult for the new batters coming in."
Another disappointing outing for the West Indies on home soil, as Pakistan clinched the opening game to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. Time to wrap up this coverage. For now, it's me, Deepak Prakash, signing off on behalf of my colleagues, Ajay Pal Singh, Saptak Sanyal, and Ashok Dayma. CHEERS!