Rose a thorn in Pakistan flesh

The 28-year-old Rose, who had taken only 15 wickets in 17 One-Day matches before this game, jolted the Pakistan middle-order in two spells from each end of a bouncy pitch.

Fresh from his Man-of-the-Series performance in the Test rubber against Zimbabwe, Rose, who returned to the Caribbean on Monday after a long flight from Dhaka where he represented the Rest of the World against an Asia XI, came into the attack with Pakistan struggling on 16 for 2 after 13 overs.

In his first spell, Rose fired out Younis khan (15), Yousuf Youhana (0) and Abdur Razzaq (2) in the space of eight balls and returned for a second burst to dispatch captain Moin khan (20) and the experienced Wasim Akram (3).

Only the burly Inzamam-ul-Haq, with an unbeaten 51 off 94 balls, survived West Indies’ unrelenting attack which was started by mean and miserly new ball bowling by veteran Curtly Ambrose and the rising Reon King.

The victory was West Indies’ first over Pakistan in their last seven One-Day encounters and maintained their unblemished record under new captain Jimmy Adams.

Earlier, Adams played the lead role in his team’s innings, top-scoring with 50 off 87 balls.

Leg-spinner Mushtaq Ahmed, with two for 34, and off-spinner Arshad Khan, who took two for 38, combined to keep the West Indies’ batsmen in check, along with fast-medium bowler Razzaq, who ended with two for 30.

Defending a hardly daunting total, the West Indies showed a sense of purpose and urgency from the first over when Pakistan suffered an immediate setback as a lifting inswinging delivery from Ambrose took the edge of opener Imran Nazir’s bat on its way to wicketkeeper Ridley Jacobs.

King, after delivering three successive maidens, struck in his fifth over when Shahid Afridi was caught by Philo Wallace at mid-off for five to leave Pakistan on 12 for two.

Rose then entered the attack and destroyed the Pakistan middle-order.

Pakistan will face Zimbabwe in their third game in Grenada on Saturday before meeting the West Indies again on Sunday.

Scoreboard

West Indies: Phillo Wallace b Mushtaq 21, Sherwin Campbell c Inzamam b Razzaq 22, Wavel Hinds b Mushtaq 39, Jimmy Adams c Youhana b Arshad 50, Chris Gayle c Nazir b Arshad 15, Ridley Jacobs (not out) 14, Ricardo Powell c Younis Khan b Akram 12, Franklyn Rose b Razzaq 6, N McLean (not out) 1; Extras: (lb13, w15, nb5) 33. Total: (7 wickets in 50 overs) 213
Fall of wickets: 1-49, 2-55, 3-138, 4-170, 5-171, 6-198, 7-209.

Bowling: Akram 10-2-44-1, Waqar 10-0-50-0, Mushtaq 10-0-34-2, Razzaq 9-3-30-2, Arshad 10-2-38-2, Afridi 1-0-4-0.

PAKISTAN: Imran Nazir c Jacobs b Ambrose 0, Shahid Afridi c Wallace b King 5, Younis Khan c King b Rose 15, Inzamam-ul-Haq (not out) 51, Yousuf Youhana c Hinds b Rose 0, Abdur Razzaq b Rose 2, Moin Khan c & b Rose 20, Wasim Akram c Adams b Rose 3, Waqar Younis lbw McLean 8, Mushtaq Ahmed b McLean 0, Arshad Khan b Gayle 0, Extras: (lb4, w3, nb6) 13, Total: (all out in 41.3 overs) 117.
Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-12, 3-32, 4-32, 5-41, 6-88, 7-92, 8-115, 9-116

Bowling: Ambrose 8-2-12-1, King 8-3-17-1, Rose 10-1-23-5, McLean 7-1-27-2, Adams 4-0-15-0, Gayle 4.3-0-19-1.

Result: West Indies won by 96 runs.