Akmal stuns Windies

Kamran Akmal struck two sixes in the last over as Pakistan scraped home

Buy this photo

Wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal led a last-over charge as Pakistan sealed a four-wicket victory with one ball to spare against West Indies in the the first one-day international in Abu Dhabi.

Captain Chris Gayle led the way for the Windies with a century in his side’s total of 294 for nine.

And a slow start appeared to have hamstrung Pakistan’s reply, before half centuries from Khurram Manzoor, Younus Khan and skipper Shoaib Malik took them close.

Even so, victory looked unlikely with 17 needed off the final over, but Akmal struck back-to-back sixes off Jerome Taylor before Fawad Alam hit the winning run.

It was a win which seemed unlikely as, chasing 295, opener Salman Butt made a pedestrian 24 from 53 deliveries before he became Lionel Baker’s first ODI victim, getting an inside edge onto the stumps in the 16th over.

Manzoor (69) was the slightly more aggressive of the two openers but he too was sent on his way in the 30th over - caught behind by Carlton Baugh off Jerome Taylor.

Misbah-ul-Haq lasted only three overs longer before he completely missed a reverse-sweep attempt and was bowled by Nikita Miller for seven.

Younus shared a 47-run stand with Malik for the fourth wicket before becoming Baker’s second scalp, well taken at mid-off by Sewnarine Chattergoon for 56.

And the 24-year-old Montserrat-born bowler did not have to wait too long to take his third wicket, Shahid Afridi stopped in his tracks on four courtesy of a superb catch by Shivnarine Chanderpaul just short of the deep-square-leg boundary.

That left Malik together with Fawad (26 not out) and the pair milked the runs in steady fashion.

But when Taylor removed Malik for 66 off 50 deliveries, it seemed Pakistan’s last hope of victory was gone.

Chris Gayle turns to leg in his blistering knock of 113 for West Indies at Abu Dhabi

Buy this photo

Akmal had other ideas, though, and he struck three maximums in his innings of 24 from nine deliveries to see them home.

The defeat was harsh on Gayle, who had earlier struck a brilliant century - his 17th ODI ton.

Shoaib Akhtar was missing after straining a calf in practice yesterday and Gayle was no doubt buoyed by the absence of the man he had pinpointed as Pakistan’s main threat with the ball.

The 29-year-old Jamaican’s 113 came off just 106 balls and helped the Windies move to the brink of 200 by the time he departed at the end of the 35th over.

Ramnaresh Sarwan also looked in fine fettle, putting on 55 to help press home West Indies’ advantage at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium.

Chattergoon was the first wicket to fall, in the 20th over, lobbing a good-length ball from Malik to Manzoor at mid-on after contributing 33.

That brought Sarwan to the crease and the former skipper shared a 73-run stand with the current captain to take the tourists up to 198 before Gayle clipped Umar Gul to Afridi at midwicket.

He had been dropped by Gul when he offered a straightforward caught-and-bowled opportunity three balls earlier but the error did not prove a costly one.

Sarwan followed the opener back to the pavilion three overs later when he got a thin edge down the leg side to an Afridi delivery and was snapped up behind the stumps by Akmal.

Six further wickets tumbled in the final seven overs, but the scoreboard continued to tick over, with Xavier Marshall (26) and Chanderpaul (36 from 33) contributing.

Gul ended with 3-66 from his 10 overs while Tanvir’s late flurry saw him claim three for 42.

Baker was the pick of the Windies bowlers with 3-47 off nine.

The second match of the three-game series is on Friday.