Pakistan v West Indies
Wisden's review of the second ODI, Pakistan vs West Indies
15-Apr-2014
At The Oval, June 7. West Indies won by two wickets. Toss: West Indies.
A fraught, low-scoring contest ended in a tight West Indies victory. On a greenish Oval pitch with true bounce and only slight lateral movement, it would have needed a superhuman effort to defend 170. Yet Pakistan so nearly did. Roach had earlier reaped the rewards for hostile, accurate fast bowling, and left Pakistan quaking at 15 for three, which fleetingly became 17 for four: but as Misbah-ul-Haq traipsed off for a duck after under-edging Roach to the keeper, square-leg umpire Nigel Llong asked for confirmation that Ramdin had got the ball under control. He hadn't - indeed he picked it up off the grass before tossing it away in premature celebration - yet his appeal betrayed no doubt whatsoever. In the press conference, Misbah accused him of breaching the game's spirit, a charge formally brought that evening by the umpires. Three days later, Ramdin, who maintained he had made an innocent mistake, was docked his match fee and banned for two one-day internationals.
A fraught, low-scoring contest ended in a tight West Indies victory. On a greenish Oval pitch with true bounce and only slight lateral movement, it would have needed a superhuman effort to defend 170. Yet Pakistan so nearly did. Roach had earlier reaped the rewards for hostile, accurate fast bowling, and left Pakistan quaking at 15 for three, which fleetingly became 17 for four: but as Misbah-ul-Haq traipsed off for a duck after under-edging Roach to the keeper, square-leg umpire Nigel Llong asked for confirmation that Ramdin had got the ball under control. He hadn't - indeed he picked it up off the grass before tossing it away in premature celebration - yet his appeal betrayed no doubt whatsoever. In the press conference, Misbah accused him of breaching the game's spirit, a charge formally brought that evening by the umpires. Three days later, Ramdin, who maintained he had made an innocent mistake, was docked his match fee and banned for two one-day internationals.
Misbah rebuilt with Nasir Jamshed, who reached an intelligent fifty only to throw away his hard work with a witless smear that sparked a clatter of wickets. No one else passed six as Misbah came within one blow of a maiden one-day hundred before he ran out of partners. Against a posse of leftarmers - the tall (Mohammad Irfan), the fast (Wahab Riaz) and the whippy (Junaid Khan) - West Indies never settled. The pressure did not ease: Saeed Ajmal matched his fellow unorthodox spinner, Narine, by reining in the runs and removing a dangerous opener, and when the eighth wicket fell it
was anyone's game. But Ramdin managed some form of redemption by seeing West Indies over the line. The match included the first instance in over 3,300 one-day internationals of an innings (extras included) comprising 12 even scores.
Man of the Match: K. A. J. Roach. Attendance: 20,492.
Man of the Match: K. A. J. Roach. Attendance: 20,492.