All in all, there were plenty of positives to come from the series for Pakistan and bodes well for their chances at next year's World Cup
13 June, 2022
PHOTO COURTESY: PCB
Skipper Babar Azam failed with the bat and star quick Shaheen Shah Afridi was rested, but it mattered little as Pakistan picked up another victory over West Indies in Multan.
Babar fails, but team-mates pick up the slack
It's not often that skipper Babar Azam fails with the bat, but that was the case in the third ODI in Multan as the Pakistan captain was dismissed for just one by Hayden Walsh.
But in what was a promising sign for Pakistan ahead of next year's ICC Cricket World Cup in India, plenty of his team-mates stepped up when required and gave the No.1 ranked ODI batter some help with the willow.
Opener Imam-ul-Haq (62 off 68 balls) contributed another half-century and was deservedly named Player of the Series, while middle-order duo Shadab Khan (86 from 78 balls) and Khushdil Shah (34 off 43 balls) continue to impress during the final overs of an innings.
Pooran the destroyer...with the ball!
Up until Sunday's clash, new West Indies' white-ball skipper Nicholas Pooran had bowled just three deliveries in ODI cricket, but that changed quickly as the part-time off-spinner claimed four key Pakistan wickets and career best figures (4/48) with the ball.
Pooran found plenty of bounce and turn, sending back Fakhar Zaman (35), Imam-ul-Haq (62), Mohammad Haris (zero) and Mohammad Rizwan (11) to help reduce the hosts to 117/5, but that was as good as it got for the visitors as Shadab Khan and Khushdil Shah ensured Pakistan could post a competitive score with some lofty late hitting.
While Pooran is much more known as a stylish middle-order batter, his latest exploits suggest he could easily develop into a world-class all-rounder with both bat and ball.
No Shaheen Shah Afridi, no worries
The star Pakistan quick was rested for the final ODI of the series and his absence was hardly felt as Pakistan's strong bowling line-up impressed in the searing Multan heat.
Shadab Khan backed up his performance with the bat by picking up four West Indies wickets, while Hasan Ali bowled well with the new ball to claim the key wicket of Shai Hope (21) and the final scalp of Romario Shepherd (16) to ensure West Indies could not chase down Pakistan's score.
Debutant Shahnawaz Dahani was lively with the new ball and stayed composed after going for some early runs and was duly rewarded with the wicket of Kyle Mayers for five.
All in all, there were plenty of positives to come from the series for Pakistan and bodes well for their chances at next year's World Cup.
Pakistan captain Babar Azam: "We executed our plans and got the desired results. We are trying different combinations with bat and ball. We will try to keep continuity and also test our bench strength."
West Indies captain Nicholas Pooran: "The last two games were disappointing for us. We played poorly with the bat. We did well as a team and going forward that will be the template."
