Veteran all-rounder Jason Holder delivered a performance for the ages, claiming 4-19 and then finishing unbeaten on 16 to help West Indies beat Pakistan by two wickets in a thrilling second T20I that went down to the last ball. The win snapped West Indies’ seven-match losing streak and levelled the three-match series 1-1.
It’s been a tough couple of weeks for us… hats off to the bowlers. They set the game up for us. We always try to get better. The guys have put in a lot of hard work. Hopefully, today is the turnaround we are looking for.
Bowlers Set It Up, Holder Seals It
Put into bat, Pakistan crumbled under disciplined bowling by Holder and company to manage just 133/9 in 20 overs. Holder led from the front, dismissing Saim Ayub early and following it up with key wickets including Sahibzada Farhan, ending with figures of 4-19. Gudakesh Motie supported well with 2-39.
Bowlers supported each other — we got wickets upfront, in the middle, and towards the end. We haven’t done justice to our potential… consistency has definitely plagued us. For me, I’ll keep putting in my best effort.
Only three Pakistani batters reached double figures — Hasan Nawaz (40), Salman Agha (38), and Fakhar Zaman (20) — as Holder dismantled the top and middle order. Motie chipped in, but it was the collective discipline that held Pakistan back.
Pakistan Bowlers Fight Back, but Holder Holds Nerve
The West Indies reply was far from smooth. At 70/5, the hosts looked on the brink once again. Mohammad Nawaz repeated his heroics from the previous match with 3-14, including a crucial middle-overs spell. Saim Ayub added to his growing credentials with 2-20.
However, Motie’s counterpunch — 28 from 20 — kept hopes alive. Romario Shepherd then smashed 15 off 11, including two boundaries and a six, before falling LBW to Shaheen Shah Afridi in the final over.
With eight runs needed off six balls, and two wickets in hand, the game hung in the balance. Shamar Joseph and Holder stayed calm, with Holder striking the final-ball boundary off Shaheen to seal the win.
Told Romario when we were batting that we need four sixes. We are powerful players and knew we could find the boundary. Just keep wickets in hand, but still hit in our strong areas. Credit to Pakistan bowlers. They did really well.
A Win to Build On for Windies
For Holder, the night was extra special. His four wickets took him to 81 career T20I scalps, surpassing Dwayne Bravo’s record of 78 to become West Indies’ highest wicket-taker in the format.
“I love playing for the West Indies, but I still think a lot of work needs to be done. One of my things is to leave WI cricket better than I found it,” said the Player of the Match.
Pakistan Captain Admits Batting Fell Short
Despite a valiant bowling effort, Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha admitted the team fell short with the bat.
130 was never enough, but they fought really well, and I am proud of them. We bowled really well, but there’s always room to improve — especially at the death. The way our spinners bowled in both games shows we are ready for the Asia Cup.
Brief Scores: Pakistan 133/9 in 20 overs (Hasan Nawaz 40, Salman Agha 38; Jason Holder 4-19, Gudakesh Motie 2-39) West Indies 135/8 in 20 overs (Gudakesh Motie 28, Jason Holder 16*; Mohammad Nawaz 3-14, Saim Ayub 2-20) Result: West Indies won by two wickets.
