West Indies, Pakistan and the United States of America (USA) emerged triumphant over their respective opponents in the fifth round of league matches of the inaugural MCW Over-40 Cricket Global Cup 2023 in Pakistan.
West Indies demolished Nepal by eight wickets at NBP Sports Complex, Pakistan overwhelmed Canada by 78 runs at National Bank Stadium and USA routed Australia by 77 runs at Karachi Gymkhana.
The West Indians faced little problems in overcoming the winless Nepal. Put into bat by the Windies, Nepal kept losing wickets regularly at one end, while opener Rabin Joshi waged a lone battle against the bowlers.
He made 97 off 136 balls, but lack of support from his colleagues didn’t allow them to post a respectable total and they had to settle with a below-par 177-6 in 45 overs.
As expected, there was an early finish to the game with West Indies reaching the target in just 24.1 overs.
Guyanese opener Hemraj Garbarran, named Man-of-the-Match, was unbeaten on 71 off 63 balls with nine boundaries.
West Indies had their best opening partnership on tour of 58 between Garbarran and Shazan Babwah, who contributed 46 off 31 four fours and three sixes. Thereafter, Garbarran teamed up with Guyanese compatriot Devon Clements in a 99-run partnership to flay the Nepal bowlers.
Clements 40 off 44 as West Indies sealed their third victory in five matches.
Hosts Pakistan have virtually booked a place in the semi-finals, having won their first five matches and earning the maximum 10 points. USA have moved to second place with seven points, closely followed by West Indies with six.
Next on the list are Hong Kong and Canada with five points each, while the Australia are in sixth position with only three points. UAE have two points, while Nepal has yet not claimed any point.
Razzaq stars
Abdul Razzaq, a former Test all-rounder, made an immediate impact as he came up with Man-of-the-Match performance in his maiden outing in the tournament.
Leading the Pakistan side, in the absence of skipper Misbah-ul-Haq, Razzaq blasted half a dozen sixes and five fours in his blazing 43-ball 70, which helped the home side erect a formidable total of 312-8 in the allotted 45 overs against Canada.
Openers Kashif Siddique (29 off 40 balls) and Junaid Khalil Nainitalwala (31 off 34 balls) laid the foundation with a solid 60-run opening stand in little over 10 overs.
Rizwan Aslam (47 off 46 balls) was content in rotating the strike, while captain Razzaq himself took up the responsibility of tearing apart the bowling.
They added 96 for the third wicket to bring the Canadians under pressure. Hassan Raza (42 off 44 balls) and Amjad Ali (33 off 32 balls) sustained the momentum which ensured a total in excess of 300.
Ali Farooq, Iqbal Kassamali and Sultan Malik took a couple of wickets each for Canada.
The stiff target of 313 became tougher when Canada lost both openers cheaply. The asking rate kept mounting and the only consolation for Canada was playing out their full quota of 45 overs in which they score 234.
Tyrone Atmaram Persaud remained undefeated on 61 off 78 balls, while Ayaz Ali (47 off 61 balls) and Talal Iqbal (39 off 55 balls) also gained some batting practice. Part-time leg-spinner Hassan Raza (2-50) was the most successful among home bowlers pressed into service.
USA topple Australia
Muhammad Farrukh declared Man-of-the-Match, led by example to guide USA to a resounding 77-run victory over Australia. Scoring 56 off 69 balls, he shared a 106-run third wicket stand with Jan Nisar Khan (52 off 74 balls) to build a strong platform after winning the toss.
The Australian fought back through medium-pacer Steve Leahy (4-37) to bowl USA out for 225 in 44.5 overs.
The Australians themselves struggled with the bat while chasing the target of 226 in 45 overs.
They were undone by the left-arm spin of Ajay Sharma, who bagged 5-36, while Saqib Ahmed, Ameer Khan and Muhammad Farrukh were also among the wickets to send the Aussies crashing to 148 all out in 32.4 overs, despite Tim Bot’s 46 off 54 balls.
