How Did Holder’s Heroics Lead WI to Level Series Against Pak?

Lauderhill, Aug 3 (NationPress) Jason Holder showcased his all-round brilliance, leading the West Indies to a nail-biting victory over Pakistan in a dramatic finish, as the home team chased down the 134-run target with two wickets remaining at the Central Broward Regional Park Stadium Turf Ground in Lauderhill on Sunday (IST).

The series decider is set to be held on Monday at the same venue, with the first ball anticipated to be bowled at 8 PM local time.

With 36 runs needed off the last three overs, Sufyan Moqim delivered a remarkable 17th over, taking two wickets and conceding only three runs, bringing Romario Shepherd (15, 11b, 2x4s, 1x6) and Holder (16 not out, 10b, 1x4, 1x6) to the crease.

In the following over, the pair accumulated 12 runs, with Holder smashing a six off Shaheen Afridi on the last delivery of that over. The penultimate over saw Shepherd striking consecutive boundaries, reducing the target to eight runs needed from six balls.

After Holder took a single on the first ball, Shaheen bowled Shepherd leg-before on the next delivery, concluding their 26-run partnership before conceding three runs in the next three balls, leaving the hosts needing four runs off the final delivery.

A wide followed by a boundary hit by Holder towards the backward square brought the West Indies their first T20I victory after six consecutive losses.

At the halfway stage, the West Indies were at 52-3, before their highest scorer Gudakesh Motie (28, 20b, 1x4, 2x6s) came in after Shai Hope’s (21, 30b, 2x4s) dismissal in the 11th over. The next four overs yielded only 24 runs and one wicket before Motie unleashed 16 runs off Hasan Ali’s 16th over.

The chase began poorly for the West Indies as Nawaz dismissed the opening pair with just 26 runs on the board, and Saim Ayub sent Sherfane Rutherford back for an 11-ball nine, reducing the hosts to 41-3 in 7.3 overs.

For Pakistan, Nawaz returned with impressive figures of 4-0-14-3, while Saim bagged 2-20 in four overs. Both Shaheen and Sufyan claimed one wicket each.

Earlier, Pakistan stumbled to 21-3 after choosing to bat first, with Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, and Mohammad Haris all falling for single-digit scores. Skipper Salman Ali Agha (38, 33b, 3x4s, 1x6) and Fakhar Zaman (20, 19b, 2x4s) partnered for a 32-run stand for the fourth wicket before Zaman fell to Roston Chase.

No.6 batter Hasan Nawaz, who came in with Pakistan at 53-4, smashed four sixes and a four during his 23-ball innings, contributing 40 runs while also adding 60 runs for the fifth wicket off 39 balls.

After Hasan’s exit in the 16th over, Pakistan could only muster 20 more runs, finishing at 133-9 in their allotted 20 overs. Holder was the standout bowler with figures of 4-19, while Motie dismissed two batters.

Brief score:

Pakistan: 133-9 in 20 overs (Hasan Nawaz 40, Salman Ali Agha 38, Fakhar Zaman 20; Jason Holder 4-19, Gudakesh Motie 2-39) lost to West Indies: 135-8 in 20 overs (Gudakesh Motie 28, Shai Hope 21, Jason Holder 16 not out, Roston Chase 16, Romario Shepherd 15; Mohammad Nawaz 3-14, Saim Ayub 2-20)