Pakistan suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of the West Indies in the final ODI of their series. The loss, a significant one, saw the West Indies, under the captaincy of Shai Hope, clinch the series with a 2-1 victory. This series win marked the end of a 34-year-long record for Pakistan. In essence, under the leadership of Mohammad Rizwan, Pakistan experienced a series result against the West Indies that hadn’t been seen since 1991.
Batting first in the third ODI, the West Indies posted a score of 294 runs for the loss of 6 wickets in their 50 overs. Captain Shai Hope played a pivotal role in propelling the West Indies to this substantial score, leading his team from the front with the bat. Hope scored a century, his 18th in ODI cricket and his second against Pakistan. He remained not out after scoring 120 runs off just 94 balls, including 10 fours and 5 sixes. The explosive batting display by Hope saw the West Indies add 109 runs in the final 8 overs without losing a wicket, after being at 185 runs for 6 wickets after 42 overs.
Chasing a target of 295 runs to win the series decider, Pakistan struggled immensely. The entire team was unable to even reach 100 runs, with Pakistan being bowled out for just 92 runs in the third ODI. Consequently, the West Indies won the match by 202 runs, their largest victory against Pakistan in terms of runs. This surpassed their previous record of a 150-run win in a 2015 ODI in Christchurch.
This marks only the fourth instance in ODI cricket where the West Indies has secured a victory with a margin of 200 or more runs. While Captain Shai Hope led the charge with the bat, Jayden Seales wreaked havoc with the ball, dismantling the Pakistani team. He took 6 wickets for 18 runs in 7.2 overs, a career-best performance.
This victory saw the West Indies not only win the third ODI but also the series. As a result, Pakistan’s 34-year record of not losing an ODI series to the West Indies was broken under the captaincy of Mohammad Rizwan. The West Indies has won an ODI series against Pakistan for the first time since 1991. It’s also their first series win against Pakistan in any format since the year 2000.
