Simmons turns tide against Ireland, Miandad criticises Pakistan

West Indies batsman Lendl Simmons frustrated Ireland with a superb century on Monday as Pakistan great Javed Miandad bemoaned his side's latest World Cup loss to India.
Renowned World Cup giantkillers Ireland reduced the West Indies to 87 for five, left-arm spinner George Dockrell leading the way with three for 50.
But Simmons (102) and former West Indies skipper Darren Sammy (89) dug the two-time World Cup winners out of a hole with a sixth-wicket stand of 154.
Simmons brought up his second one-day international hundred and West Indies' 300 in the final over of the innings, having faced just 83 balls including nine fours and five sixes.
His innings was a bittersweet sight for at least one spectator at Saxton Oval, with Ireland coached by former West Indies batsman Phil Simmons -- Lendl's uncle.
West Indies eventually totalled 304 for seven.
Encouragingly for the West Indies, all four previously completed fixtures at this World Cup had been won by teams batting first making 300 or more runs.
"It was a good innings, we needed a partnership," said Simmons, normally an opening batsman.
"It's been a new role for me batting lower down the order but I have accepted the challenge."
Long regarded as the world's leading non-Test nation, Ireland sensationally knocked Pakistan out of the 2007 World Cup in the Caribbean before defeating England four years ago in Bangalore -- with Kevin O'Brien scoring the fastest-ever World Cup hundred.
But prior to those triumphs it was their win over the touring West Indies at Sion Mills back in 1969, where the visitors were skittled out for just 25, that remained Ireland's best-known victory.
There was nothing quite as spectacular on Monday but Ireland justified skipper William Porterfield's decision to field, with Dwayne Smith falling early and Darren Bravo run out.
Chris Gayle is one of the world's most destructive batsmen but, trying to smash Dockrell, he was caught on the boundary by Kevin O'Brien.
Dockrell then had Marlon Samuels lbw, with Denesh Ramdin falling the same way to the spinner.
Sunday saw defending champions India launch their World Cup campaign with a 76-run victory over Pakistan at a sold-out Adelaide Oval, Virat Kohli making a hundred in a match that attracted an estimated global television audience of 2.5 billion.
Victory meant India have now won all six of their World Cup clashes against Pakistan, a remarkable statistic given the cricket talent available to their arch-rivals.
Batting great Miandad, a member of the Pakistan side that won the 1992 World Cup -- the last time the tournament was staged in Australia and New Zealand -- slammed the selectors for several "mindboggling" picks.
"In big cricket matches, a team fields its best playing XI and do not experiment," Miandad told the ICC website.
"Unfortunately, Pakistan never remember this simple formula...It was nothing but a mindboggling team selection that shocked millions of its fans around the world.
"What's the rocket science of promoting Younis Khan as an opener? What's the logic of leaving out specialist wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed when he could also bat aggressively?," Miandad added.
"It was like pushing the panic button before the start of an all-important event like the World Cup."
Source: AFP