With his fourth half-century in five games this series, the world's leading ODI run-getter of 2013 shepherded his volatile band of batsmen home in another tricky chase. Misbah-ul-Haq battled falling wickets at the other end, a charged up Tino Best, and a rain interruption as late as the 98th over of the game to take Pakistan to their third successive away bilateral series win over West Indies. Yet again this series, Umar Akmal was called upon to overcome the asking-rate towards the end, and once more, he did not disappoint, delivering the series to Pakistan with a 3-1 margin.
Misbah formed partnerships with Ahmed Shehzad, Haris Sohail and Akmal before falling in the last over trying to slog the winning hit, with scores tied. He had already ensured Pakistan had won the series; a tie would have meant the margin would have been 2-1.
When Sohail became the latest profligate Pakistan batsman to fall, chasing a wide Best delivery, Pakistan needed 83 from 12 overs. Best, having conceded 25 off his first three overs, was in the mood for a furious comeback. Pinging down bouncers in the mid-140s, he smacked one into Misbah's fingers. The storm was being weathered by the captain, Akmal did his act at the other end.
When Sohail became the latest profligate Pakistan batsman to fall, chasing a wide Best delivery, Pakistan needed 83 from 12 overs. Best, having conceded 25 off his first three overs, was in the mood for a furious comeback. Pinging down bouncers in the mid-140s, he smacked one into Misbah's fingers. The storm was being weathered by the captain, Akmal did his act at the other end.
The inexperienced Jason Holder was taken for three successive fours in the next over, the 41st, the second of those coming off a poor effort at fine leg from Marlon Samuels. It wasn't the first time West Indies had messed up in the field today, and it wasn't to be the last. Akmal steered a short ball to the fine third man rope next ball. Holder cracked further under pressure, four leg-byes resulting off Misbah's pad down the leg side off the last ball of the over.
Misbah managed a four off an inside edge to Sunil Narine next over and held his nerve to reverse-sweep the offspinner for four more. Then arrived the moment which once again highlighted what a farce a watered-down DRS has been in this series, in the absence of HotSpot. West Indies were sure Misbah had gloved a Best bouncer to the keeper down leg, the on-field umpire did not agree, and the third umpire had too much guesswork to do with only replays and sound as tools. Misbah was on 49 then, and Pakistan would have needed 53 of 46 had he been given.
Though Best lost predictably his temper, West Indies were not giving in. Dwayne Bravo, who often disappears for plenty at the death, delivered two tight overs. But Akmal found the big stroke when Pakistan sorely needed it. Narine was cut for four, Best was carted over mid-off for six. A top-edge flew over the keeper for four more, but even as clouds swept in over the stadium, Akmal holed out to mid-off for 37 off 28.
A 20-minute break followed but Pakistan were ahead on D/L by five runs, and safe in the knowledge that the series was theirs, in case no further play was possible. Sunshine followed soon, though, and Shahid Afridi weighed in at the hit end of the hit-or-miss scale. Bravo was smashed for six over deep midwicket and punched past point for four. Game over? Not yet.
Misbah hit Holder to short midwicket second ball of the final over, and Saeed Ajmal took three deliveries to get bat on ball. Had the throw from mid-on hit, it would have gone down to the final ball. It didn't, and Afridi and Ajmal hugged, as did their team-mates in the Pakistan dressing room.
Credit for the win also went to Shehzad, who made his first substantial score of the series, and guided Pakistan's chase amid tight bowling from Narine and Darren Sammy. Both sides seemed to exchange favours. West Indies did not appeal for two caught-behind chances off Narine. Pakistan paid back with a suicidal run-out and a needless slog.
Credit for the win also went to Shehzad, who made his first substantial score of the series, and guided Pakistan's chase amid tight bowling from Narine and Darren Sammy. Both sides seemed to exchange favours. West Indies did not appeal for two caught-behind chances off Narine. Pakistan paid back with a suicidal run-out and a needless slog.
The pitch eased out further in the second innings. Cutting and pulling without trouble, Nasir Jamshed and Shehzad brought up Pakistan's first 50-run opening stand in 17 innings, excluding a game against Scotland.
Trust Pakistan to blow such a rare promising start. Jamshed was stranded for the second game running, Shehzad taking a few steps and stopping this time, after Mohammad Hafeez in the previous game. Hafeez himself got a start and then had a heave at Sammy. However, Shehzad had Misbah to steady things.
The opposing captain's cameo had earlier taken his side to to 242 for 7 from 170 for 6. Dwayne Bravo, with 48 off 27, was assisted by his predecessor, Darren Sammy, who made an unbeaten 29 off 18.
The West Indies top six never managed any sort of sustained partnership. Two of them, Johnson Charles and Marlon Samuels, got forties, but were also the ones who struggled to score the most. Devon Smith fell early yet again. Chris Gayle and Lendl Simmons were unable to convert starts.
Junaid Khan was outstanding, barring the last over when Sammy went after him, making a case for him to have played through the series.
Mohammad Irfan was unlucky not to break through in his opening spell, but came back even stronger to remove Charles and Samuels. West Indies took 56 from overs 46 and 48 to 50, but Misbah's calm and Akmal's aggression were enough to overhaul that.
Ahmed Shehzad made his first substantial score of the series, and guided Pakistan's chase amid tight bowling from Sunil Narine and Darren Sammy. Both sides seemed to exchange favours. West Indies did not appeal for two caught-behind chances. Pakistan paid back with a suicidal run-out and a needless slog.
The pitch eased out further in the second innings and the most the Pakistan openers were tested by the new balls was when a couple of express deliveries from Tino Best flew for top-edged boundaries. Although Best didn't compromise on pace, as always, he was also expensive, and West Indies missed the injured Kemar Roach.
Cutting and pulling without trouble, Nasir Jamshed and Shehzad brought up Pakistan's first 50-run opening stand in 17 innings, excluding a game against Scotland.
Trust Pakistan to blow such a rare promising start. Jamshed was stranded for the second game running, Shehzad taking a few steps and stopping this time, after Mohammad Hafeez in the previous game. Hafeez himself got a start and then had a heave at Sammy to make it 64 for 2.
With Best expensive, and Dwayne Bravo off the field for a while after taking a blow to his arm while batting, West Indies used up Sammy's entire quota, and also used as many as six overs from Narine. The former ODI captain, who stood in when Dwayne Bravo was off, was remorselessly accurate as ever. However, his chiding of Narine when the offspinner lazily conceded a few extra runs was uncharacteristic.
Narine may have been apologetic on the field, but he was hard to get away with the ball, conceding only 15 in those six overs. However, neither bowler nor wicketkeeper appealed for a catch off a clear edge Hafeez got on an attempted cut in the 14th over.
In Narine's next over, Shehzad seemed to get a thin edge behind. Again, no appeal from West Indies.
After Jamshed and Hafeez's wickets restored balance on the gift front, Shehzad and Misbah-ul-Haq steadied the chase.
50 overs West Indies 242 for 7 (Dwayne Bravo 48, Samuels 45, Charles 43, Junaid 3-48) v Pakistan
Pakistan asked West Indies to bat and hardly ever allowed them to get away, barring at the death, when Dwayne Bravo and Darren Sammy took their side to just above a par total for this series. Till then, the Pakistan attack, led by Junaid Khan, had kept West Indies to 170 for 6 but Dwayne Bravo, with 48 off 27, and Darren Sammy, with an unbeaten 29 off 18, converted that to 242 for 7.
The West Indies top six never managed any sort of sustained partnership. Two of them, Johnson Charles and Marlon Samuels, got forties, but were also the ones who struggled to score the most. Devon Smith fell early yet again, Darren Bravo fell early too, on referral, and Chris Gayle and Lendl Simmons were unable to convert starts.
Junaid was outstanding, barring the last over when Sammy went after him, making a case for him to have played through the series. Mohammad Irfan was unlucky not to break through in his opening spell, but came back even stronger to remove Charles and Samuels. Asad Ali, preferred over Wahab Riaz and slower in pace, could have had both those batsmen, had they not been dropped, the latter by himself. Saeed Ajmal, who often pulls off the extremely thankless task of bowling in the batting Powerplay and at the death with so much success, went for some runs, including an expensive last over.
Both captains got what they wanted out of the toss. Misbah-ul-Haq wanted his bowlers to use the morning moisture; Dwayne Bravo wanted his batsmen to make first use of the pitch, saying the moisture would not stay around for long. And West Indies did not face too many issues against the new balls, although Irfan posed problems with his bounce and some movement.
Smith was able to get through his usual tormentor Mohammad Hafeez's overs, but chased a widish length ball in Junaid's opening over and edged to second slip. Darren Bravo hit a few eye-catching drives but Junaid's control soon broke through again. There was a noise as Bravo pushed at a shortish delivery on off stump, and the third umpire deemed that was enough to send the batsman on his way caught-behind.
Charles and Samuels, put down on 18 and 3, slowly started to take a few singles. Both took on Shahid Afridi, stepping out to loft him for boundaries. Just when the partnership had gone past 50, Charles, whose knock was a mix of plays-and-misses and edged boundaries, swatted tennis-forehand style at Irfan and was caught.
Gayle, demoted to No 5 again, seemed intent to bat himself in, and with Samuels' increasing inability to get moving, West Indies stalled before the former hit Hafeez for successive boundaries in the 35th over. Gayle fell as soon as the Powerplay began, edging a sharp Junaid bouncer to the wicketkeeper. Samuels' crawl spilled over into the Powerplay as he played out a maiden to Ajmal. He went the Charles way soon after, forehanding Irfan, again, into the deep for 45 off 89.
Simmons looked in superb touch again but failed to clear the deep fielder with a slog-sweep, and it was only Dwayne Bravo and Sammy left to try and kickstart a flagging innings. Bravo cut loose first, with pulls and lofted drives over extra cover. Sammy got a few away towards the very end, as West Indies took 56 from overs 46 and 48 to 50
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