Holder and Narnie Shine in Tie Match of Digicel Series Against Pakistan

                 Third ODI of the ongoing Digicel cricket series in West Indies between the Pakistan and West Indies ended up as the tie. Both teams have already won one game each making the series 1-1. This was 700^th international ODI cricket match for the Windies team. Both team fought their level best to take 2-1 lead in the series, but the match ended up as a tie. This is 27^th tie in the ODI cricket history. The hero of the match was West Indies bowler Jason Holder who made it possible for the Windies team to end the match as tie. Haris Sohail made the debut from the Pakistan team.

Jason Holder the Star of 3rd ODI Match

TOSS: West Indies skipper Dwayne Bravo won the toss and decided to bowl.

Pakistan Inning

Batting:

Pakistan opened their inning with N Jamshed and A Shahzad. They started the game very slowly and could score 29 runs in the mandatory powerplay overs. As they started to pace the scoring rate Sahzad got out who is followed by the Jamshed soon. Both departed at the team score of 39 runs. Now it was again on the Pakistan skipper Misbah Ul Haq to build inning and he added 53 runs with Hafeez for 4^th wicket. Then with debutant Sohail Misbah put up another 60 runs partnership to take the score at 150 in 41^st over.

Misbah Ul Haq Guiding a ball during his inning of 75

Pakistan scored 38runs without losing a wicket in bating powerplay overs and Misbah completed 27^th fifty in ODIs. At 152, Haris Sohail got out, he was soon followed by the Misbah and Afridi. In 46^th over score of Pakistan was 174/6 and the responsibility to get respectable was on wicket keeper batsman Umar Akmal. Akmal added 52 runs with W Riyaz in last overs of the inning and helped Pakistan put up 229 on the board in 50 overs. U Akmal scored 40 runs from 31 balls hitting 6 fours. Misbah Ul Haq top scored for Pakistan with 75 runs.

Bowling:

Bowling from West Indies was quite wayward and undisciplined bowling 11 wides in innings. Captain Bravo and Holder picked up 2wickets each while 1 wicket picked up by Sammy and Roach.  

West Indies Inning

Batting:

Chasing the target of 230 West Indies openers fail again and both were back in pavilion by the team score of 16. In form batsman Darren Bravo and MSamuels tried to control the fall of wickets and also maintain the scoring of runs. West Indies completed their 50 in 16^th over and at the same score Bravo got out. Samuels then build up a partnership with next in L Simmons of 91 runs and provided stability before he got out at the same score.

Simmons added another 37 runs with skipper Dwayne Bravo before getting out scoring 75 runs. Departure of Simmons opened up the match for Pakistan and soon the score of West Indies was 191 at the loss of 8 wickets at the end of 47 overs. LSimmons scored 75 runs for the team.

Jason Holder Playing a Shot

West Indies needed 39 runs from last 18 balls with just 2 wickets and it looked as the match is over for West Indies. But Narnie scored quick 14 runs from just 5 balls of S Ajmal before getting out in 48^th over. West Indies needed 24 runs from last 12 balls but they could score 9 runs in 49^th over from Junaid Khan.

Last over 15 runs needed to win, first balls 1, second ball 1, Holder on the strike third ball 4runs, fourth ball dot, fifth ball a six, last ball 2runs and Holder has done it for West Indies. West Indies has managed to pull up a tie from the virtually lost match thanks to Jason Holder. 

Bowling:

Pakistan bowled brilliantly specially spinner Saeed Ajmal and Md Hafeez. Ajmal and Junaid picked up 3 wickets each. Md. Irfan picked up 2 crucial wickets while 1 wicket was picked up by Wahab Riyaz.

L Simmons and Misbah Ul Haq were jointly awarded Man of the Match

Misbah Ul Haq and L Simmons declared joint man of the match for the 3^rd ODI. Pakistan could have won this match if they could have bowled with more precision to the tail enders. But the Crdit must goes to Narnie, Roach and specially Holder who score 14 runs in last over to finish the match as tie. Fouth ODI of the Digicel cricket series is to be played on 21^st July at the Gros Islet, St. Lucia.