Debutant Nawaz, Talat power nervy Pakistan to ODI win over West Indies

TRINIDAD: Debutant Hasan Nawaz and the returning Hussain Talat stitched together a match-winning 104-run partnership to guide Pakistan to a tense five-wicket win over West Indies in the first ODI, chasing down 281 in the penultimate over in Karachi.

Faced with a nervy chase, Pakistan appeared to be stumbling when Mohammad Rizwan fell for 53 with 101 runs still needed. But Nawaz, playing his first ODI, and Talat, featuring in just his second, steadied the ship. Nawaz overcame a nervy start and rode his luck to finish unbeaten on 63, while Talat provided the calm foil with a fluent 41* off 37 balls to give Pakistan a 1-0 lead in the series.

Earlier, West Indies posted 280, built around three half-centuries, but couldn’t fully capitalize thanks to Pakistan’s spin stranglehold and a late burst from Shaheen Shah Afridi (4/51) and Naseem Shah (3/55).

Pakistan’s reply started shakily, losing Saim Ayub early to a sharp Jayden Seales delivery. Babar Azam (47) and Rizwan attempted to rebuild but were bogged down, facing 16 consecutive dot balls at one stage. Their slow start put pressure on the chase, and both perished before reaching fifty.

With wickets tumbling and pressure mounting, Hasan Nawaz and Talat turned the tide in the final 12 overs, aided by some sloppy fielding, including key dropped chances. Their composure, aided by dew and erratic West Indies bowling, ensured Pakistan finished strongly, with Nawaz sealing the game in style to cap off a memorable debut.