For the West Indies, Jayden Seales delivered a devastating spell. He took six wickets for just 18 runs in 7.2 overs. Gudakesh Motie picked up two wickets, while Roston Chase claimed one. (Photo: AFP)
West Indies produced a dominant all-round performance to crush Pakistan by 202 runs in the third and final ODI at Queen’s Park Oval on Tuesday. The hosts clinched the series 2-1, registering their first home bilateral ODI series win over Pakistan since 1988.
Chasing 295, Pakistan’s batting line-up fell apart spectacularly. The visitors were bundled out for just 92 runs in 29.2 overs. None of the top-order batters showed resistance. Captain Babar Azam scored only nine runs, extending his century drought to 72 international innings.
Five Pakistan players – Saim Ayub, Abdullah Shafique, Mohammad Rizwan, Hasan Ali, and Abrar Ahmed – registered ducks. Salman Ali Agha was the only batter to put up a fight, scoring 30 runs, and with wickets tumbling at the other end, his resistance proved futile.
For the West Indies, Jayden Seales delivered a devastating spell. He took six wickets for just 18 runs in 7.2 overs. Gudakesh Motie picked up two wickets, while Roston Chase claimed one.
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The hosts’ bowling attack dismantled Pakistan’s batting unit with ease. Seales’ pace and swing left the visitors with no answers.
Earlier, West Indies captain Shai Hope anchored the innings with a brilliant unbeaten 120. His knock featured 10 fours and 5 sixes. Hope’s innings ensured the hosts posted a challenging total of 294/6 in 50 overs.
Justin Greaves provided late acceleration with a quickfire 43 off 24 balls. His cameo pushed the West Indies past the 290-run mark.
For his match-winning knock, Hope was named Player of the Match. Speaking after the game, he said, “It was very important for us to go deep. You want to set the tone in the powerplay. I wanted to give the team the best finish as well. We have struggled at times. We had 270-280 in mind. We had wickets in hand, wanted to capitalise.”
“Justin came in and played well. We had a pretty complete game today. I am extremely proud. We tend to stress the negatives. We have been creating history in the last couple of years. Great to see the guys pulling this off. Jayden is a quality bowler. I am more excited about his preparation. He is a class act. He can move the ball both ways. Bowling much better in white ball cricket,” Hope added.
This series win marked the West Indies’ first bilateral ODI victory over Pakistan since 1991, home or away. It also provided relief for head coach Daren Sammy after a string of disappointing results.
The Caribbean side had recently lost the T20I series against Australia and Pakistan. They also suffered a crushing defeat in the day-night Test against Australia.
With this emphatic win, West Indies not only ended a decades-long drought against Pakistan but also sent a strong message about their resurgence in ODI cricket.
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