That will be it from us today. Hope you enjoyed the coverage as much as we liked bringing it to you. The second ODI will be played at the same venue day after tomorrow. See you then!
Babar, the Pakistan captain is up next : My aim is to continue working on my strength and my game. [On a bit of misunderstanding during the running between the wickets with Imam] There was a bit of misunderstanding in the calling but later on the partnership went well and that was our motive, to take the game as deep as possible as the surface was not easy. The West Indies bowlers bowled really well. [On heat being a factor] Any series we take on, we come with full preparation and we were we prepared for the heat. That is not a excuse. We have played in even tougher conditions. We need to give the bowlers credit. Especially, Shadab, he bowled and fielded brilliantly. [On Pakistan chasing well consistently] Cricket has changed and we have to play proactively and with planning and intent. The plans were made, and we executed them well. The way Khushdil finished, it was great. The partnerships are important and that is what we wanted to do, to help the finishers end the game.
Khushdil Shah: [On his game plan] My game plan was to take the game deep. No matter what happened, I wanted to give my 100% to the team. [On his process] The last two years I have been working on my power hitting. Earlier, I used to play on the leg stump, now I am working on my off stump game. In the 10-12 days camps we had, the coaches helped me improve my batting. Not just the power-hitting but also accumulating the singles and doubles. I just wanted to hit the balls in my zone, else accumulate the ones and twos.
Next up, Babar Azam is the Man of the Match, but hold on, he gives his award to Khushdil Shah. Lovely gesture by the captain.
Time for presentation. First up Nicholas Pooran, the West Indies captain: [On the loss] Yes, obviously losing sucks, but today I am really proud of the guys, the way they came out and batted the 50 overs, getting 300 plus in tough conditions. It was really hot today as well. Pakistan is a world class team, Babar showed his class, Imam played a top innings and Khushdil coming at the end winning the game for them. Very proud of the guys, they gave it all. We could have been on the other side but that’s cricket. [On the bowling plans] We tried to swing the ball upfront, but there was no swing, so we tried to bowl more slower balls, more into the pitch. The wicket was really good in the night as well. It seemed the game could have gone anyway even in the last four overs. We are young team and we move forward from here. [On Shai Hope] He continued to show his class, he is one of the best batsman in the format. Well played to him and even Shamarh Brooks. Tough conditions and they showed their class. So, well done to them.
Furqan: “Khushdil firing on all cylinders is a mouth watering prospect..!!! “
Wajid Jawaid: “Significant work done by Pakistan’s middle and lower-middle order in this victory. This will be particularly pleasing for the team management.”
12:44am A fine performance from Pakistan, who collect 10 Super League points. Fakhar Zaman fell early but Babar Azam and Imam ul Haq steadied the ship well adding 103 runs. Imam fell going for needless reverse sweep for 65 before Mohammad Rizwan and Babar stitched another important stand. Babar reached his century and Rizwan his fifty but the required rate continued to surge. Pakistan lost both Babar and Rizwan in quick succession but Khushdil, who is known for his six-hitting prowess, slammed three sixes in a row to settle the nerves. He eventually finished on 41 off 23 balls, with Nawaz striking the end blow. The West Indies bowlers kept things tight, but their inexperience showed in a few areas and that brought about their undoing. Pakistan take a 1-0 lead in the series.