Hope and Seales pummel Pakistan as Windies end 34-year hoodoo en route to a much-needed ODI series victory.
Hope and Seales flatten Pakistan to end West Indies’ 34-year drought.
It’s a good quality to know when to leave, and if Pakistan had any doubts that their time in the Caribbean was up, the West Indies snatched them away and gave the guests a thorough beating.
Pakistan lost every innings thanks to an undefeated hundred from Shai Hope and a six-wicket haul from Jayden Seales, who tied for the second-best total by a West Indian in men’s ODI cricket. West Indies’ greatest-ever victory over Pakistan, slicing them for 92 after setting them 295 to win, was more than plenty to guarantee their first ODI series victory over Pakistan in 34 years.
The core of the West Indies’ dominance was a 15.2-over stretch of play that spanned both innings; it was a startling reversal of the pattern Pakistan believed they had been following. Mohammad Rizwan ruthlessly used up as many of the West Indies’ part-time fifth bowling options as he could as they struggled to get going on what appeared to be a difficult wicket to traverse against the slower bowlers.
West Indies had not yet reached 200 at the beginning of the 44th over, perhaps sacrificing an ambitious innings total for caution that at least kept their wickets. Hope’s smeared six off the first ball from Mohammad Nawaz marked the milestone, and it only took one ball to reverse it.
He made his point clear with a second six off the subsequent delivery, and Pakistan stood still as the West Indies crawled off the canvas and started hitting Pakistan with body punches one after another.
Rizwan went straight to Abrar Ahmed, who had been so successful in the middle of the innings that he had only given up five runs in his opening six overs. However, the skipper of the West Indies had stepped up his game, accelerating to a level Pakistan thought he couldn’t reach on this surface.
Hasan Ali was flaying Justin Greaves for as many as he could handle as he erupted into life at the other end. With a crunching cover drive that placed him third on the all-time West Indian ODI centuries list, Naseem Shah was unable to evade Hope’s wrath despite his best efforts to land the type of reverse swinging yorkers that had previously put Roston Chase out of his misery.
By the time he brushed Hasan Ali over backward point off the last ball of the innings, 100 runs had been scored off the last seven, and that was only the beginning of a 21-run over.
It was difficult to avoid the impression that this was about as bad a play as Pakistan could put up with as they left in a forlorn murmuring among themselves.
Nevertheless, Seales spent the following 8.2 overs refuting that idea. The right-arm fast took advantage of the angle going away to Saim Ayub, who nicked off in the opening over for the third time in the series. Abdullah Shafique, his fellow opener, would also depart without posing a threat to the scorers. He attempted to hit Seales over mid-on but was unable to account for the heavy ball he was bowling, which he ballooned to Gudakesh Motie, who was in an ideal position.
The diamond in the crown, however, will be the third of his six. Despite his fidgetiness, Rizwan may be difficult to decide on a length to, and as he took a step out, he decided that it was safe to leave the fourth-stump line on a hard length on both counts. The slightest clink, like ice cubes tinkling in a tumbler, would have been audible behind him as he shoulder-ered arms. Without even coming into contact with the stumps, the ball had sailed back in and kissed the off bail.
It’s reasonable to say that Pakistan was already imagining crazy ways that this game may go, and they all included Babar Azam. However, Babar only served as a plot device for Seales’ ideal day, trapping him in front of him while the batter was still in single figures, leaving Pakistan reeling at 23 for 4.
They gave that baton to none other than Seales to do the honours, and he blew by Hasan Ali and Naseem before Abrar ran through for an uncalled single. The precision of Chase’s direct shot denied Seales the chance to record the highest bowling numbers ever recorded by a West Indian in men’s ODI cricket.