West Indies triumph over Pakistan in a thrilling T20 match thanks to last-minute efforts by player Holder
In a nail-biting finish under the lights at Lauderhill, Florida, the West Indies cricket team secured a thrilling one-run victory against Pakistan in the series-deciding T20 match on Sunday.
Pakistan, who won the toss and elected to bat first, managed to score 133 runs for the loss of 9 wickets. Opening batsman Hasan Nawaz top-scored for Pakistan with an impressive 40 runs, including four sixes and a four. Salman Agha also contributed well with 38 runs, including a six and three fours.
West Indies, who were on the brink of a seventh consecutive T20 defeat after having been swept 5-0 by Australia last month, started off shakily. Gudakesh Motie scored 28 runs for West Indies but was run out on the first ball of the 17th over, leaving the team on 96 for six.
However, West Indies' captain Jason Holder, who broke Dwayne Bravo's T20I wicket record in the same match, kept their hopes alive. Holder reached a West Indies T20I record of 81 career wickets, surpassing Dwayne Bravo's old mark of 78. He swatted a six in the 18th over and also took a crucial wicket, leaving Pakistan with a mountain to climb in the final over.
With 24 runs needed to win in the final over, Romario Shepherd scored a six and a four off Hasan Ali in the 19th over, leaving West Indies on 126 for seven entering the final over. Jason Holder and Shamar Joseph each scored a single, leaving West Indies 3 runs shy of the target with 1 delivery remaining.
Mohammed Haris caught Keacy Carty for a duck three balls later in the same over, leaving West Indies on 125 for 8. With 6 runs needed off the last 3 balls, Shamar Joseph scored a run, pulling West Indies within 6 runs with 3 balls remaining in the match.
In the final over, Shaheen Shah Afridi took the wicket of Romario Shepherd, leaving West Indies on 125 for 9. However, with two balls remaining, Jason Holder hit a boundary to tie the match, sending it into a super over.
In the super over, West Indies scored 15 runs, while Pakistan managed only 12, giving West Indies a well-deserved victory and ending a losing streak of seven consecutive T20 matches. The West Indies will undoubtedly be relieved to have broken their losing streak and will look to build on this victory in future matches.
Cricket, being the focus of the thrilling contest, was once again at the forefront as the West Indies team, having struggled in their previous T20 series against Australia, found themselves in another nail-biting T20 match. Pakistan, who scored 133 runs, provided a challenging target for the West Indies team.
