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That's it from us folks! What a performance from Rashid Khan. He's quickly making a name for himself and presenting a case why Associate nations should be playing top teams more. Hope you enjoyed our coverage. Have a good day!
Here's what the captains had to say:
Jason Holder: We just were not good. We lacked energy. The intent was not there the way we batted. We were 20 odd after first 10 overs and that is not expectable. Batsmen needed to put their hands upo. We got to wake up and realize we are playing international cricket. We were not good enough today.
Asghar Stanikzai: We are very happy today. It is a big win for us. It has been a good day for us. We won the toss and batted first, our target was 220. We knew the conditions were good for spin and had set our target. We are looking forward to playing positive cricket. Congratulations to Rashid Khan for taking 7 wickets, he has showed how good he is.
Rashid Khan (Man of the Match): We really needed this one after losing three consecutive T20Is. I just tried my best and gave 100 percent. The actually was not that good for batsmen to score quick runs but the bowlers too did their job and bowled according to the plan.
ALL OVER: Rashid Khan schooled Windies in their own backyard to seal a 63-run win for Afghanistan and helped them take a 1-0 lead in the three-match One-Day International series at the Darren Sammy National Cricket Stadium in St Lucia. Rashid, at one stage, picked up four wickets in space of ten deliveries for just one run to leave them reeling at 70 for 6 in chase of 212. The legspinner picked up his second five-wicket haul and eventually ended with 7 for 18 - the fourth best figures in ODIs after Chaminda Vaas, Shahid Afridi and Glenn McGrath.
West Indies had lost Kieron Powell in the third over, trapped lbw by Dawlat Zadran, but rebuild well to reach 41 for 1 courtesy Evin Lewis and Shai Hope. However, Lewis dismissal opened the floodgates with Rashid taking over the stage to seal a comfortable win.
Asghar Stanikzai held back Rashid for 22 overs but it took the legspinner just two deliveries to create an impact. After dismissing Jason Mohammed (7) on his first delivery, he trapped Roston Chase, the debutant, plumb in front on the next delivery. Jonathan Carter defended the hat-trick delivery and then played out the over. Rashid's second over left Windies in tatters as he delivered a double-wicket maiden dismissing Jason Holder - bowled - and had Shai Hope caught at point.
Rashid kept delivering the wrong'uns and the Windies batsmen kept failing to pick it as they slipped away in the chase. Ashley Nurse became Rashid's fifth victim - trapped in front - as the fans watched in disbelief. Carter (19) and Alzarri Joseph (27) scored 45 for the eighth wicket but that just delayed the inevitable.
Earlier, Javed Ahmadi scored a fighting 102-ball 81 and late cameo from Gulbadin Naib lifted Afghanistan over the 200-run after they struggled for most parts of the first innings.
With gloomy conditions and a green track welcoming the teams, Afghanistan surprisingly chose to bat first. The decision perhaps was because they didn't want their batting to be put under pressure after a poor preceding Twenty20 International series, which they lost 0-3.
Jason Holder nipped out Noor Ali early to give the hosts the much-needed early breakthrough. Rahmat Shah and Ahmadi did stitch a 55-run stand for the second wicket but took too much time to get going. Just when it looked like they'll pick up the ante, Shah cut a short and wide one from Shannon Gabriel straight to point.
Reduced to 68 for 2, Afghanistan never really were able to break the shackles. Samiullah Shenwari (22 off 46) and Asghar Stanikzai both struggled and pressure kept mounting as the scoring rate barely climbed over three runs per over. The struggles of other batsmen also bogged down Ahmadi as he went into his shell and eventually paid the price. Trying to tap a short ball towards third man from Miguel Cummins, all he managed was a faint edge to the wicketkeeper.
Shenwari fell soon after leaving Afghanistan in a precarious position at 131 for 5 after 38 overs. Windies could have restricted the visitors to a bit less but lacked intensity on the field. They looked content with the lack of boundaries and went with the flow when they should have attacked and been ruthless. The let the innings meander along and Afghanistan made full use of it but flaying the bowlers in the death overs.
With nine overs to go, Afghanistan's hopes were firmly pinned on the experienced shoulders of Nabi (27). The late thrust though came from Naib, who smashed 41 off 28. Naib flayed the pacers with ease as Nabi started playing second fiddle to the young ward. Their stand in the end was just what Afghanistan needed as it gave them the momentum going into the break before Rashid spun his web around Windies to deliver a memorable win.
Brief scores: Afghanistan 212/5 in 50 overs (Javed Ahmadi 81; Ashley Nurse 2-34) lost to Windies 149 in 44.4 overs (Rashid Khan 7-18) by 63 runs.
WICKET: Three legspinners on the row and a the fourth one - the googly - results in a wicket. Alzarri Joseph goes for 27. West Indies 144 for 9 and it's just a matter of time now.
EIGHT DOWN: Carter falls after a 45-run stand now. Short of length ball and pulled straight to midwicket. Second wicket for Zadran. Windies 135 for 8.
Hello and welcome to the live blog of the 1st ODI between Windies and Afghanistan. The hosts, who are ranked a lowly ninth in the ODI charts with 79 points, will aim to bridge the gap between them and the eighth-placed Pakistan. Even if Windies clinch the ODI series 3-0 against Afghanistan, it won't be easy to close the gap, as Pakistan are ahead of the Caribbean side by 11 points. The cut-off date to secure a direct qualification for the 2019 World Cup is September 30, 2017, and only the top eight teams will get an automatic berth in the mega-event.
As of now, the focal point for the Windies would be to have a settled side. Only Jason Holder, the captain, has played more than 50 ODIs. However, on a positive note, a few promising cricketers have started to press their claims in the international arena.
Roston Chase, the Barbados all-rounder, composed a brilliant ton, albeit in a losing cause in the final Test of the series against Pakistan, leading to his inclusion in the ODI squad for the three-match rubber against Afghanistan. Jason Mohammed, who composed a game-changing 91 against Pakistan in the ODI played at Providence stadium, Alzarri Joseph, Shai Hope and Evin Lewis, have also shown glimpses of their potential in the international circuit.
Afghanistan, on the other hand, will be concerned after their abject show against the Windies pacers in the T20Is. Kesrick Williams, the Leeward Islands pacer, in particular, troubled the Afghanistan camp and picked up eight scalps. However, Williams hasn't been selected for the ODI series. Instead, Afghanistan will have to confront Shannon Gabriel, Joseph, Miguel Cummins and Holder in the 50-over series.
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