Mohammad Hafeez doesn't strike you as one of Pakistan's major matchwinners, but he produced one of the finest performances of his career against West Indies to secure his team a place in the World Cup semi-finals. He took 2 for 16 with his offspin and then cracked an unbeaten 61 to ensure there were no problems in the run chase.
Hafeez, handed the new ball after Abdur Rehman was left out, caused a host of problems for the left handers, mainly with his straighter deliveries, rather than any turn. The major damage came in his third over as he skidded one past Smith's inside edge, and three balls later, a similar delivery removed Darren Bravo as he thrust his pad down the line.
The West Indies batsmen couldn't get him away and it meant Shahid Afridi had a host of bowling options to call on when Hafeez completed a 10-over spell for less than two runs per over. His first spell ended with eight overs for 12 and he bowled his final two equally cheaply to make sure the pressure was never released.
Hafeez then rode on the confidence of his bowling display when he opened the batting alongside Kamran Akmal, but some of the bowling served up was as bad as the earlier batting. Sometimes chasing small targets can be tricky - not on this occasion. A couple of tough half chances were spilled without affecting the result in a single way. Hafeez crunched drives through the covers and flicked confidently off his legs to reach his fifty off 55 deliveries. The Man-of-the-Match award wasn't a tough decision.