Everyone is laughing, happy: Andre Russell
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Christchurch: West Indies celebrated their first win of the 2015 World Cup, with all-rounder Andre Russell saying their rout of Pakistan on Saturday proved there was more to the team than Chris Gayle.
The West Indies thrashed Pakistan by 150 runs in Christchurch, with an unbeaten 42 in just 17 balls by man-of-the-match Russell taking them to 310 for six at Hagley Oval.
They then rolled Pakistan for 160 in exactly 39 overs, with paceman Russell taking three for 33. (Andre Russell, Jerome Taylor Help West Indies Trample Pakistan)
Pakistan's run chase went off the rails right from the start when they lost four wickets in four balls, with Jerome Taylor at one stage having figures of three wickets for one run in two overs.
Their collapse to one for four meant Pakistan recorded the worst start to an innings in the 3,608 match history of one-day internationals.
Not that Russell cared, saying victory had changed the mood in the West Indies camp after they became the latest Test nation to be turned over by Ireland first time out.
"Everyone is laughing, happy," Russell said. "From the last game, things didn't go well for us and we just turned up today and wanted to show the world that we are not just a pushover," he added.
"It's a very good feeling winning a game after losing to Ireland, in that manner. (Do or Die time for Pakistan, Declares Misbah-ul-Haq)
"It just goes to show that the West Indies can dominate and we are here to compete."
Russell was one of several batsmen to make a positive contribution with Denesh Ramdin posting 51, Lendl Simmons 50 and Darren Bravo 49 before he retired hurt with a hamstring injury.
But Gayle, renowned as one of the most destructive openers in the game, failed once again.
The Caribbean batting icon was out for four as his average dropped to 14.42 over 19 innings in the 20 months since his last century.
But Russell made light of Gayle's run of low scores by saying: "Chris has been struggling, and we're still scoring 300." (Pakistan's 1/4 Worst Start in History of ODIs)
Russell added that Gayle hadn't let his form dampen the team's morale.
"Even if he's not scoring he's not miserable, he's not grumpy. He's happy, he's laughing, and he's cheering everyone on the field, and that's what we want from a big guy like him, so it's very good."
West Indies next play Zimbabwe in Canberra on Tuesday before facing pool heavyweights South Africa three days later and defending champions India on March 6.
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