West Indies secure impressive opening win

Mar 13, 2007

Brian Lara tossed...Inzamam-ul-Haq called correctly and chose to bowl in the opening match of the 2007 World Cup at Sabina Park•AFP

2.2 Umar Gul to Gayle, OUT, Gayle on his way! Umar Gul banged one in a little short, the ball left Gayle off the seam, he nibbled at it and Kamran Akmal took a big step to his left to hold a catch at stomach height. That's an identical dismissal to the way Gayle fell in the warm-up match against India last week.•AFP

Ramnaresh Sarwan led the West Indian recovery by playing some attacking shots•Getty Images

Dwayne Smith's late 32 off 15 balls boosted the total•AFP

10.3 Powell to Mohammad Hafeez, OUT, gottim! Hafeez, looking to go over the top, goes instead straight to the man at mid-on with a soft catch. West Indies very much on top at this stage - but let's remember that Pakistan have the awesome Yousuf still in, and now here's Inzy to the crease, he's never easy to shift•Getty Images

AFP

Chris Gayle looked to the skies as he walked out to open the innings•Getty Images

Kamran Akmal moved quickly to his left to take the catch•AFP

23.5 Iftikhar Anjum to Sarwan, OUT, Sarwan falls one short of his fifty, caught at first slip off the outside edge as he played a loose drive to a ball pitched up to him. It has been a real curate's egg of an innings, and while Younis Khan will be happy to have held the chance, it should be remembered that he put Sarwan down off the first ball he faced•AFP

0.3 Powell to Imran Nazir, OUT, gone! Nazir was trying to drive through the off side and the thinnest of edges is enough to remove him - an easy catch for Ramdin behind the sticks. It's all going on in the first over•AFP

28.6 Smith to Mohammad Yousuf, OUT, Yousuf goes to Smith's obvious delight. A little short, the ball climbed on him and seamed back in, cramping him for room and an outside edge spat through to Ramdin to give him his third catch of the innings. Pakistan were cruising ... now they have work to do•AFP

Sabina Park wasn't quite a sell-out although some sections were full•AFP

Marlon Samuels smacks a six over long-on as West Indies up the tempo•AFP

3.6 Taylor to Younis Khan, OUT, gone! That delivery reared high enough to be able to leave but Khan can't resist slashing an attempted hook at it. He misses and a top edge flies through - and that's a very sunny Ramdin who snaps up the catch, his second of the innings so far•AFP

32.4 Smith to Inzamam-ul-Haq, OUT, inducker and that's as plumb as you like - and Smith certainly does like - whooping as Taufel raises the finger. Hawk-Eye suggests that the ball may have been going over, but Inzamam is on his way and this could be the turning point•AFP