Pakistan clinches series with four-wicket win against West Indies
Friday, 26 July 2013 13:05
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Pakistan pulled off a four-wicket win with one delivery to spare in the fifth and final One-Day International against the West Indies at the Beausejour Stadium on Wednesday (24 July).
Chasing West Indies’ total of 242-7, Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq made 63 to steer his team to the target although it made heavy weather of it at the end. Saeed Ajmal scrambled him for the winning run after Kieron Pollard failed to hit the stumps at the non-striker’s end.
Pakistan, which came into the final game sitting on an unbeatable 2-1 lead, won the five-match series 3-1 with the third match ending in a tie. The teams now travel to St. Vincent for the two Twenty20 Internationals on Saturday and Sunday.
Misbah, who fell in last over with the scores level, was named both the man of the match and the man of the series as he once again proved the different between the two teams.
The West Indies believed it had Misbah caught behind by stand-in wicketkeeper Lendl Simmons off Tino Best with the Pakistan captain on 49 and the total reading 190-4 in the 43rd over, with 53 still needed for victory.
Umpire Paul Reiffel ruled the batsman out, decision challenged by West Indies captain Dwayne Bravo, but the Decision Review System (DRS) upheld the on-field verdict.
Ahmed Shehzad top-scored for Pakistan with 64, but as West Indies seemed to be fighting back in the middle stages, Misbah and Umar Akmal, the duo which had taken Pakistan to victory in the rain-shortened fourth match three days earlier, came to the party again. They put on 66 for the fifth wicket before Akmal was dismissed by Best for 37 amid light showers.
Pakistan was still ahead on the Duckworth/Lewis method at that stage and when the players returned to the field after 20 minutes, Pakistan squeaked home, boosted by Shahid Afridi’s six over square-leg off Bravo in the 49th over.
Earlier on, Bravo had made 48 off just 27 balls to give his team’s innings a late surge with 62 runs coming off the final five overs. Bravo’s cameo and Darren Sammy’s rapid 29 bolstered West Indies, which had earlier been held together by Marlon Samuels (45) and Johnson Charles (43).
Junaid Khan and Mohammad Irfan shared five wickets for Pakistan.
