Afridi leads Pakistan's demolition of West Indies in World Cup quarters

A four wicket haul and a dual spin attack strategy has the boys from the Caribbean crashing to just 112 and paving the way to a huge 10-wicket victory.

Saeed Ajmal, the Pakistan spinner, second right, celebrates the wicket of Devendra Bishoo with his teammates during the West Indies collapse.

Shahid Afridi led from the front as formidable Pakistan crushed the West Indies by 10 wickets to reach the World Cup semi-finals for the first time since 1999.

Afridi spearheaded a spin assault on the flat-footed West Indies batsmen who crashed for 112 in 43.3 overs, a target Pakistan surpassed easily in the 21st over at the Sher-e-Bangla stadium.

The leg-spinner, already the tournament's leading wicket-taker, took his tally to 21 as he finished with four for 30, including two wickets off successive balls.

Off-spinners Mohammad Hafeez and Saeed Ajmal chipped in with two wickets each as the West Indies collapsed in a heap after electing to take first strike on a sluggish pitch.

Hafeez then shone with the bat, stroking an unbeaten 61 off 64 balls in the company of opening partner Kamran Akmal (47 not out) to ensure the day-night match ended in quick time.

The emphatic victory could hand Afridi's men a mouth-watering semi-final against arch-rivals India in Mohali on March 30, if the co-hosts beat Australia in Ahmedabad on Thursday.

The Pakistanis, who won the World Cup in 1992 under Imran Khan, last entered the semi-finals of the premier event in England in 1999 when they finished runners-up behind Australia.

It has been a remarkable comeback for a team that had been knocked out in the first round of the previous edition in the Caribbean four years ago.

The West Indies collapsed in spectacular fashion after Darren Sammy won the toss and elected to take first strike.

Veteran Shivnarine Chanderpaul, brought back after being left out for the previous match against India, was the only batsman to defy the spinners with a grim unbeaten 44 off 106 balls.

The West Indies were reduced to 71-8 before a 40-run stand between Kemar Roach and Chanderpaul helped the former champions surpass their lowest World Cup total of 93 against Kenya in Pune in 1996.

The West Indies never recovered from the disastrous start when they lost three top batsmen, Chris Gayle, Devon Smith and Darren Bravo, by the sixth over.

Gayle, returning to the side after recovering from an abdominal strain, made eight when he drove Umar Gul uppishly to mid-off where Afridi accepted an easy catch.

Hafeez, who shared the new ball with Gul, trapped Smith and Bravo leg-before in the space of four deliveries to open up the middle-order.

"The plan was made one day earlier that I have to bowl with the new ball," said Hafeez.

"There was not any pressure really. I had done this before so I was very comfortable. The team management made the plan and I had to go with it."

SCORECARD

West Indies:
Devon Smith lbw b Hafeez 7
Chris Gayle c Afridi b Gul 8
Ramnaresh Sarwan c U. Akmal b Afridi 24
Darren Bravo lbw b Hafeez 0
Shivnarine Chanderpaul not out 44
Kieron Pollard c K. Akmal b Afridi 1
Devon Thomas lbw b Afridi 0
Darren Sammy lbw b Ajmal 1
Devendra Bishoo b Ajmal 0
Kemar Roach c Younis b Razzak 16
Ravi Rampaul b Afridi 0
Extras: (lb2, w7, nb2) 11

Total: (all out, 43.3 overs) 112

Fall of wickets: 1-14 (Gayle), 2-16 (Smith), 3-16 (Bravo), 4-58 (Sarwan), 5-69 (Pollard), 6-69 (Thomas), 7-71 (Sammy), 8-71 (Bishoo), 9-111 (Roach), 10-112 (Rampaul).
Bowling: Gul 7-1-13-1, Hafeez 10-3-16-2 (w2), Riaz 6-0-29-0 (w2, nb2), Afridi 9.3-1-30-4 (w1), Ajmal 8-1-18-2 (w1), Razzak 3-1-4-1 (w1).

Pakistan:
Kamran Akmal not out 47
Mohammad Hafeez not out 61
Extras: (lb4, w1) 5

Total (for no loss, 20.5 overs) 113

Did not bat: Shahid Afridi, Misbah-ul-Haq, Younis Khan, Asad Shafiq, Umar Akmal, Abdul Razzaq, Saeed Ajmal, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz.
Bowling: Roach 5.5-0-39-0, Rampaul 5-1-28-0 (w1), Bishoo 5-1-24-0, Sammy 5-1-18-0

Result: Pakistan won by 10 wickets