Pakistan revamped their batting for this series, but there were some familiar sights after they were put in on a drizzly day in Providence: the top order keeled over at the slightest sight of movement, Misbah-ul-Haq again played a hold-it-together innings scoring at a slow rate that riled Pakistan fans, and Shahid Afridi again showed his penchant for the big moment with a innings-transforming 76 in his comeback game to set West Indies a tricky target.
West Indies' punt in picking the towering Jason Holder for Tino Best paid off spectacularly early on. Holder, playing only his fourth ODI, ripped through the new-look Pakistan line-up in a searing opening spell of 8-4-8-4 in which he had the ball swerving both ways, befuddling the batsmen.
His first two wickets, both of which came with the batsmen attempting to leave the ball, showed the problems he posed. Ahmed Shehzad, playing his first ODI in two years, tried to shoulder arms but Holder got the ball to jag away late and Shehzad ended up inside-edging onto the stumps. Mohammad Hafeez, with three single-digit scores in his previous four ODIs, also looked to let the ball go but the delivery darted in to take the offstump, and leave Hafeez looking foolish.
Holder then dismissed the usually reliable Nasir Jamshed, who was wrongly adjudged lbw for 6, and Asad Shafiq fell for a golden duck to a superb diving catch from wicketkeeper Johnson Charles, leaving Pakistan at 23 for 4. Another comeback man Umar Akmal was then in all sorts of bother - there were edges short of slip, several beatens, a clear caught-behind that was turned down and a difficult stumping chance. Pakistan lost three wickets for eight runs in a 10-over spell ending in the 14th.
Misbah was his usual patient self, showing off his watertight technique as he kept out everything West Indies hurled at him. With the ball nipping around, run-scoring wasn't on his mind; he was focused on guiding Pakistan through the difficult period, hoping the pitch would settle down as the innings progressed.
When Akmal holed out to mid-off another comeback man, Shahid Afridi, walked in, and he had only run-scoring on his mind. Pakistan were 47 for 5 and the team's last recognised batting pair was in the middle, but that didn't prevent Afridi from launching his third delivery for six over long-off. Given his kamikaze style of play, a quick end to his innings wouldn't have surprised. It almost did after he belted another six and a four, but Chris Gayle put down a tough chance at slip.
After that, he could take lesser risks despite scoring rapidly as West Indies' bowlers offered several boundary balls. Marlon Samuels offered long hops and full tosses that were dispatched beyond the rope, Darren Sammy was cleverly dinked over the shoulder before his half-volley was pounded through extra cover to bring up the half-century off 35 deliveries. The man who was expected to be the biggest threat, Sunil Narine, was caned out of the attack, taken for 32 in three overs. On a track where everyone else struggled, Afridi was at ease, showing the insouciance and big-hitting that make him such a fan favourite.
Once Afridi fell for 76 towards the end of the Powerplay, the onus was on Misbah, who couldn't lift the rate but went on to yet another half-century. He perished in the 48th over, after 120 deliveries of defiance, but was still not satisfied, punching the air in dejection and admonishing himself after his dismissal. His and Afridi's efforts guided Pakistan to 224, which should prove challenging for the West Indies batting order.
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