Chasing 179 for victory, the West Indies looked poised for a strong reply after openers Johnson Charles and debutant Jewel Andrew stitched together a promising 72-run partnership. But their dismissals in quick succession sparked a dramatic collapse that saw the hosts lose control of the chase, eventually finishing on 164 for 7.
“I wouldn’t say the bowling was poor but we could have restricted them to a lesser score,” said Hope, who managed just two runs before falling to Mohammad Nawaz. “We didn’t field well and we didn’t bat well at all.”
Pakistan’s innings had earlier been anchored by a fluent 57 from Saim Ayub, supported by Fakhar Zaman and some late-order hitting that pushed the visitors to 178 for 6. Ayub and Zaman, both left-handers, proved particularly tricky for West Indies’ main spinner Gudakesh Motie to contain.
“Saim and Fakhar, there were two left-handers and didn’t give a lot of scope for Motie,” Hope explained. “Chase bowled well and I might have missed a [trick] by not bowling more spin.”
The West Indies had opted for a strategy of attacking the Pakistan spinners early, hoping to dictate the middle overs. While Andrew and Charles gave them the perfect launchpad, Mohammad Nawaz flipped the script with a game-changing final over that removed both openers and Motie in quick succession.
“We didn’t want the spinners to settle, wanted openers to go hard and then have Motie at three,” Hope said. “I didn’t get going today and that was unfortunate but the plan was to put pressure on their spinners after a fast start.”
The result extended the West Indies’ miserable run in T20 Internationals to six straight defeats and 18 losses in their last 20 matches in the format. With the 2026 T20 World Cup on the horizon, Hope emphasized the need for accountability.
“We need to learn from our mistakes and learn quickly, and we need to put the words into action,” he said.
The West Indies will be looking to bounce back in the second match of the series on Saturday, hoping to snap a losing streak that is threatening to derail their white-ball ambitions.
