All-rounder Shadab Khan hit a scintillating half-century before taking four wickets to seal Pakistan’s 53-run win over West Indies in the third and final day-night international in Multan, which was interrupted by a dust storm.
Shadab scored 86 to put Pakistan at 269-9 when West Indies hero Nicholas Pooran took four wickets, leaving the home side struggling at 117-5.
Opener Imam-ul-Haq smashed a brilliant 62 off 68 balls but was a rare failure for world number one ODI batsman Babar Azam, who fell for one run off three balls.
Shadab’s legspin again scored 462 runs and bowled out the visiting team for 216 in 37.2 overs, giving Pakistan 30 invaluable points in the ODI Super League, which is the qualification round for next year. World Cup in India.
The 3-0 clean-sweep took Pakistan to 90 points, fourth in the 13-team ODI league table while West Indies are fifth with 80.
A dust storm during Pakistan’s innings restricted the match to 48 overs, but that didn’t stop Pakistan from taking a tenth consecutive ODI series win over the West Indies.
Pakistan won the first match by five wickets and the second by 120 runs, also played in Multan.
Shadab dismissed Kisey Carty (33), Rovman Powell (ten) and top scorer Akil Hossein, who hit 60 off 37 balls with six sixes and two fours.
The visitors threatened to return when Hossein and Romario Shepherd put on 49 for the eighth wicket but both fell within 12 runs and a miserable series ended.
Openers Shai Hope (21), Shamar Brooks (18), Pooran (11) and Powell got off to a good start but lost shots.
Left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz removed Brooks and Keemo Paul (21) to finish with 2-56.
Azam is very happy with the series win.
Azam, who has won four out of five series as captain, said, “We follow the plans and are giving our 100 per cent in all departments and the results are visible.”
“We have different areas of improvement as each of the three sports has shown. We look forward to learning from our mistakes and getting better.”
Pooran was disappointed after losing the last two games.
“The last two games were disappointing for us. We played poorly with the bat,” Pooran said.
Earlier, it was Pooran, the part-time bowler who gave a tough fight to Pakistan.
Pooran turned his hand to score only 4-48 for the second time in his 43-match ODI career when Pakistan rolled 85 to 117-5 for no loss, winning the toss and opting to bat.
It looked like Babar Azam’s innings had fallen with a rare failure for one but Shadab played his bat to great effect.
Shadab hit three sixes and four fours in 78 balls before being bowled in the last over.
He improved on his 54 against New Zealand in Wellington in 2018.
Helping spin the Multan Stadium pitch, Pooran propelled himself after Fakhar Zaman (35) and Haq gave Pakistan a solid start.
Pooran took the wickets of Zaman, Haque, Mohammad Rizwan (11) and Mohammad Haris (nil) off just 25 balls, never taking more than one wicket in his first-class career.
Haque hit seven fours and a six in 68 balls for his 14th ODI half-century. He became the second batsman to score seven or more fifties in consecutive ODIs.
Former Pakistan great Javed Miandad celebrated his 65th birthday on Sunday, holding the record for most fifties in consecutive ODIs with nine, set in 1987.
Amidst Pooran’s destruction, Azam fell leg before spinner Hayden Walsh scoring a century and 77 in the first two matches.
Shadab added 84 runs for the sixth wicket with Khushdil Shah (34) and 40 runs for the eighth wicket with Mohammad Wasim, who hit a six.
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