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West Indies v Afghanistan, 1st ODI, St Lucia June 9, 2017
Afghanistan 212 for 6 (Ahmadi 82, Nurse 2-34) beat West Indies 149 (Rashid 7-18) by 63 runs Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Rashid Khan looked like he would get a wicket with every ball Getty Images
Afghanistan had won on four previous occasions when Rashid Khan had picked up four wickets or more. But Friday brought him one of his tougher challenges: he had only 212 to defend on a sluggish St Lucia surface but that only seemed to spur him on. The 18-year old legspinner finished with 7 for 18 - the fourth-best haul in ODI history - and West Indies were bowled out for 149.
The 63-run victory for Afghanistan, their first in this format over a Full Member other than Zimbabwe or Bangladesh, exposed the ineptness of a West Indies unit struggling in their quest to qualify directly for the 2019 World Cup.
Rashid, introduced in the 23rd over with West Indies seemingly steady at 68 for 2, broke open the game by picking up wickets off his first two deliveries. And if that isn't impressive enough, he struck on consecutive balls in the 25th as well to be on a hat-trick twice during the course of his first two overs, opening his spell with figures of 4 for 1. The lone run conceded came courtesy of a dubious wide call in which a googly spun in from outside leg stump to strike Jonathan Carter's back leg after a missed sweep before ricocheting to fine leg.
Jason Mohammed played for a straight ball when there was turn, debutant Roston Chase fell for a golden duck, completely deceived by a googly, Shai Hope was snaffled courtesy Mohammad Nabi's brilliance at slip and Jason Holder's defence was breached by a ripping wrong 'un. At 70 for 6, West Indies were railroaded, having to switch back to survival mode.
That didn't prevent Ashley Nurse from trying ungainly slogs and was quickly shown his place by a skiddy googly that gave Rashid his second five-for in ODIs. The upset was sealed in the 45th over, fittingly with another Rashid googly, as Afghanistan added to the shockwaves that rocked the cricket world this night. After all, it was only a few hours previously that another underdog, Bangladesh, had stunned New Zealand in the Champions Trophy.
While Rashid walked away with the plaudits - among bowlers with at least 50 wickets, he has the best bowling average (15.05) and strike-rate (22.3) - it was opener Javed Ahmadi quietly worked his way through to make 81, his highest ODI score, to set the game up. He showed the resolve to fight through testing spells from Shannon Gabriel and Miguel Cummins and, given he had to face a lot of short-pitched bowling, he also showed that he was particularly strong square of the wicket. Forty of his runs, including four fours and a six, came behind point.
Ahmadi built the platform in a slow, but assured, second-wicket stand of 55 with Rahmat Shah, before West Indies hit back with two quick strikes. They went into a shell against Nurse, who used the strong breeze to drift the ball away from the right-handers. He took out Asghar Stanikzai, who played for turn when there was none, and Samiullah Shenwari, who was unfortunately given out as the ball lobbed to slip off his forearm while trying to reverse sweep.
With Afghanistan at 131 for 5 in the 38th over, and Ahmadi back in the pavilion as well, West Indies had a firm grip over the contest. But Gulbadin Naib used his muscle to pepper the legside boundary and take apart Jason Holder, who conceded 36 off his last three overs. Naib would hammer three fours and two sixes in his unbeaten 28-ball 41. The 58-run stand for the eighth wicket with Mohammad Nabi, who quietly finished 27 not out, would signal the change in momentum for Afghanistan.
West Indies would have hoped for a brisk start from their batsmen but it was not to be and by being diffident and overcautious, they played themselves into a situation where one costly lapse could trigger an alarming slide. And slide they did.
Shashank Kishore is a senior sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo
ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
Originally posted here:
Rashid Khan rips the fight out of West Indies - ESPNcricinfo.com
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan today accused India of playing "devious games" in Afghanistan and using the country's soil to "sabotage" Islamabad's relations with Kabul.
Foreign Office Spokesman Nafees Zakaria also accused India of escalating tension at the LoC and the Working Boundary in order to divert international community's attention from the human rights situation in Kashmir.
"India is playing a devious game in Afghanistan. India is using Afghan soil against Pakistan and also to sabotage Pakistan-Afghanistan relations," he said at the weekly press briefing.
He said Pakistan has constantly raised its concern on the issue at all the related forums.
"While we have no desire to escalate the situation, Pakistani armed forces would respond effectively to any unprovoked violations. We have always exercised restraint.
"The Indian belligerence is a threat to regional peace and security. We have cautioned India from making any strategic miscalculation. It appears that India is seeking conflict with Pakistan," he warned.
He said Pakistan calls upon the UN Security Council and Human Rights organisations to call India to account for the human rights violations in Kashmir.
"We have strongly taken up the issue of grave human rights violations in Kashmir at the Council of Human Rights in Geneva at the 35th Session, yesterday," he said.
About the 2007 Samjhauta train blast, he said that there was a pledge made by India at the highest political level that they would share the findings of the investigations.
"Unfortunately, no such thing ever materialised. On the contrary, we have noted with deep concern that over the years, Indian Government has employed systematic strategies to exonerate those who had confessed their involvement and those who were identified in those confessional statements to be involved in Samjhauta Express terrorist attack," he said.
He said Pakistan believes that all countries have an important and positive role to play to establish peace in the region and resolve disputes through peaceful means.
He said Pakistan achieved a significant milestone as it was joining the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) during Astana Summit.
Regarding a meeting between leaders of Pakistan and India on the sidelines of SCO Summit, Zakaria said that "we have not received any request from the Indian side for a meeting on the sidelines."
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Pakistan accuses India of 'devious games' in Afghanistan - Economic Times
BBC News | Taliban territory: Life in Afghanistan under the militants - BBC News BBC News The BBC's Auliya Atrafi goes behind the front line in Afghanistan to see life under militant control. |
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Taliban territory: Life in Afghanistan under the militants - BBC News - BBC News
West Indies v Afghanistan, 1st ODI, St Lucia June 8, 2017
Match Facts
June 9, 2017 Start time 1430 local (1830 GMT)
Jason Holder, who did not feature in the T20I series, returns to the West Indies side as their ODI captain AFP
Big Picture
In tennis, we sometimes see players struggling for form on the ATP World Tour - pro tennis' highest level - drop down one tier to the ATP Challenger Tour. While the level of competition is not as high, they are likely to win more matches, and winning - no matter who it's against - breeds confidence. So while it's no secret that West Indies would much rather be in England playing the Champions Trophy, there's little doubt that sweeping Afghanistan in the T20I series would have boosted morale, and eased a small amount of the pain of losing all three series against Pakistan recently.
With the ODIs coming up, the hosts have the perfect opportunity to highlight the gulf - in quality and experience - between the two sides even further, and finally enjoy a tour they can unequivocally call a success.
Afghanistan might be wishing this tour was the other way around, with the ODIs - the format they are less likely to make an impact in - held before the T20Is. That way, they could have acclimatised to the conditions during the ODIs, while saving their best for the T20Is, with a real chance of causing a few upsets. As it stands, they made their mistakes in the T20Is, and even though they got better with each progressing game, they now find themselves having to take on their hosts in a longer format, which is unlikely to play to their advantage.
Form guide
West Indies LLWLL (last five completed matches, most recent first) Afghanistan WWLLW
In the spotlight
Interest will invariably centre around Roston Chase, who was called up to the ODI side for the first time after a phenomenally prolific Test series against Pakistan. He averaged over 100 en route to scoring 403 runs - the highest aggregate for a West Indies batsmen in a three-match series. But that is no guarantee of ODI success. Chase appears to be a more classical batsman, who has prioritised first-class cricket over T20 glamour, playing just 16 domestic limited-overs matches. This series will be a test of his flexibility, and will show whether he can be a man West Indies can turn to regardless of the format. With a Test strike rate of 43.61, he'll have to do something different in the shorter format.
On paper, Gulbadin Naib's primary role is that of a medium-fast bowler, but he has performed that job for precisely two overs across 3 T20Is in the Caribbean. With the bat, a facet of his game that has assumed greater importance of late, he has disappointed, scoring 31 runs in three outings. While he is a more regular ODI bowler, Naib will be under pressure to deliver and bolster his all-round credentials. With the competition for places so intense, there will invariably be another player eyeing his place.
Team news
West Indies have named a somewhat thin 13-man squad for the ODI series, with Chadwick Walton, who struggled in the ODIs against Pakistan, left out. Jason Holder, who was rested for the T20Is, returns as ODI captain. T20I captain Carlos Brathwaite was omitted from the ODI side.
West Indies (probable): Evin Lewis, Kieran Powell, Shai Hope (wk), Jonathan Carter, Roston Chase, Jason Mohammad, Rovman Powell, Jason Holder (capt), Devendra Bishoo, Alzarri Joseph, Shannon Gabriel
There are fewer squad changes for Afghanistan between the T20I and ODI formats, but they might not be sure of the best side to play, having shuffled their side around during the T20Is.
Afghanistan (probable): Gulbadin Naib, Noor Ali Zadran, Asghar Stanikzai (capt), Samiullah Shenwari, Mohammad Nabi, Shafiqullah (wk), Afzar Zazai, Rashid Khan, Amir Hamza, Shapoor Zadran, Dawlat Zadran.
Pitch and conditions
This is the first match being held at this ground since it was renamed the Darren Sammy National Cricket Stadium after the former captain. Established in 2002, the stadium has traditionally seen spinners extract more, although high totals at this ground were in evidence long before the T20 revolution. The weather should be ideal for cricket, with bright skies and little cloud cover.
Stats and trivia
Danyal Rasool is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo. @Danny61000
ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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WI look to stay on track for tour whitewash - ESPNcricinfo.com