Cricket: Bravo brothers help Windies to 232-8

Solid contributions by the Bravo brothers, Darren and Dwayne, lifted the West Indies to 232 for eight batting first against Pakistan in the second One-Day International of the five-match series at the Guyana National Stadium today.
After Darren's top score of 54 through the first half of the innings, skipper Dwayne provided vital impetus in holding the latter half of the innings together with an unbeaten 43 that proved critical in helping the Caribbean side to a total that represented a massive improvement from being routed for just 98 in the first match at the same venue on Sunday.
Shahid Afridi, the undoubted star of that opening encounter, claimed two wickets, as did Saeed Ajmal, the pair of slow bowlers threatening to stifle the home team as they did so effectively two days earlier.

West Indies indeed seemed on course for another batting debacle when the giant left-arm fast bowler Mohammad Irfan removed Chris Gayle in the first over of the match after Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq put the opposition in on a pitch expected to have considerable preparation moisture following continuous showers the day before.
However Darren Bravo and Johnson Charles (31) counter-attacked either side of a rain break, the pair putting on 79 runs for the second wicket before the opening batsman was stumped off the bowling of Afridi.
The runs then dried up during the middle of the innings with Bravo and Marlon Samuels struggling to get the ball away.

It took the arrival of the batting powerplay to change the complexion of the innings as wickets fell in a rush, only for Kieron Pollard (30) to finally provide some stability and acceleration with his captain, the pair taking the West Indies from the uncertainty of 150 for five in the 39th over to 220 when Pollard was bowled by Asad Ali in the penultimate over.
With weather conditions improving all the time though, Pakistan are expected to have it much easier at the crease in their run chase, unless the home side's bowlers can provide an inspired effort to square the series before the final three matches are played in St Lucia, starting on Friday.