Pakistan thrashed a jet-lagged West Indies by 143 runs in their Twenty20 opener on Sunday for the second biggest margin of victory in top-level T20 cricket.

Despite this being the first international match in Karachi — Pakistan's largest city — only 18,000 people watched the match in the 33,000-capacity stadium. But those present were in a celebratory mood.

“It's something we've been trying to prove, that it's safe to play here,” said Zehra Kazmi, a housewife.

Aftab Khan, a student, said he was hoping for more top-level cricket on Pakistani soil. “I can't express my feelings in words so we welcome all the players from the international cricket,” he said.

“They should come to Pakistan and play... because Pakistan is a very peaceful country.”

The three-match T20 series against the West Indies is seen as a big step towards reviving international cricket in Pakistan, which was suspended in 2009 following a 2009 militant attack on the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore.