4th T20
WI 124/8PAK 127/3Pakistan win by 7 wickets
In a nutshell
A no-contest between Pakistan's bowling attack and the West Indies battling line-up. There were 66 dot balls in the innings - that's 11 overs out of 20 - and eight of those dots were wickets. Hasan Ali bowled back-to-back maidens and finished with match-winning figures of 4-2-12-2.
Chadwick Walton, with 40, and Carlos Brathwaite, who made 37 and surpassed his previous highest that he made at the World T20 final, made up the lion's share of West Indies' 124 for 8. But it was nowhere near enough. Although the pitch at Queens Park Oval was being used for its third straight match, there weren't the enough signs of the ball slowing up. And Pakistan's top order capitalised. Ahmed Shehzad struck 53 off 45 balls to ensure a seven-wicket victory.
Where the game was won
The middle overs. Yes they exist in T20. For further proof, Hasan did most of his damage through inswingers, which he can only manage with an old ball. Three our of his four overs came after the first 10 when West Indies fell from a respectable 59 for 2 to a silly 87 for 6. A slide like that might have been justified if there had been a spree of magic deliveries or an invasion of pitch demons. But all Hasan did was bowl full and straight. He understood that was enough by watching the West Indian batsmen set up on leg stump, and wait on the back foot, preferring to have room to free the arms and flat bat sixes.
The men who who won it
Hasan had been hit for a six off the third delivery he bowled. The punishment was dealt to a good length ball - the same kind with which he profited later in the innings. Then he still stuck to his strengths against a team known for its big hitting was a sign of the 23-year old's self-belief. It helped, though, that when he came on for his second spell - 2-2-0-2 - West Indies were stuck in a rut. They were falling behind in the innings and tried to hit their way out of trouble. Not a sensible thing to do against a bowler harnessing reverse swing.
The instigator of the choke, though, was Shadab Khan, the legspinner. So a lot of credit should go to him too. He also dismissed the opposition's best batsman on the day - Walton - by teasing him into big shot that only went as far as long-on. The reason for that was the dip the 18-year old generated. In much the same way, he deceived Jason Holder in the 16th over. And though he didn't get Kieron Pollard, he was beating his outside edge repeatedly.
Moment of the match
Marlon Samuels had just struck back-to-back sixes. He has turned low totals into match-winning ones before and has had phenomenal success in finals both actual and virtual. There were no such heroics on Sunday because, on the heels of being involved in a bizarre run-out, his middle stump took a beating. Hasan's wicket-to-wicket line was poorly negotiated by Samuels, who stayed leg side of the ball and attempted a lame glide to third man. His knees buckled and as he sank to the floor, there was almost a look of begrudging approval of a delivery that had been too good for him.
Where they stand
Pakistan clinched the four-match T20I series 3-1. The two teams resume their limited-overs battle in the three-match ODI series starting in Guyana on April 7.
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3rd T20
PAK 137/8
WI 138/3
West Indies win by 7 wickets
In a nutshell
This was the batting performance everyone was waiting for from the world champions. West Indies had only 138 to chase down, but it was still five runs more than the target they couldn't get to two days ago. But, making sure those bad memories didn't well up, and more importantly that the series stayed alive, was opener Evin Lewis. The 25-year-old smashed his first T20I fifty - he already has a hundred - countering everything that was thrown at him. Perhaps the only thing he wasn't tested against was scoreboard pressure, because Pakistan didn't have any to apply. Their batting underwhelmed so much that they lost two wickets in the first over and suffered five single-digit scores.
Where the game was won
In the chase, because West Indies' batting seems like a chocolate eclair right now: solid on the outside, but gets all gooey in the middle. And when Chadwick Walton fell in the second over, Pakistan were starting to lick their fingers. Then came two successive fifty partnerships. Lewis led both of them, putting on 56 runs in 40 balls with Marlon Samuels and 76 off 40 with debutant Jason Mohammed.
The men who won it
Man, actually. Lewis, standing tall and smashing sixes like the legends of old. There were nine in all - one of them brought up his half-century - and each of them was an event. The flourish of the bat, the arch of the back, the sheer power and the disdainful look. He finished with 91 off 51, the highest score by any batsman against Pakistan in T20Is and his lasting 14.4 overs in the chase completely nullified Shadab Khan's impact. Until this match, the 18-year old legspinner had taken seven wickets at an average of 3 and strike-rate of 6.8. On Saturday, he went for 38 runs in 3.5 overs, 25 of which came off Lewis' bat.
Moment of the Match
It was the start of the 13th over of the Pakistan innings. Facing it was Kamran Akmal. He had helped steady the team after a dramatic wobble and was on 48 off 36 balls. The full toss that Marlon Samuels bowled should have been reward for all the good work he had done until then. But it ended up dismissing him, as he pulled straight to Lendl Simmons at deep midwicket. West Indies took control from that point on, picking up six wickets and conceding only 45 runs in the last eight overs. Kesrick Williams' slower offcutters - rather similar to Mustafizur Rahman's - were vital towards the end, having been set up by Samuel Badree's 2 for 22 earlier.
Where they stand
West Indies' seven-wicket victory, with 5.1 overs to spare, meant the fourth and final T20I on Sunday becomes a decider. If the hosts win it, they level the series. Otherwise, Pakistan get to take home the trophy.
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2nd T20
PAK 132
WI 129/8
PAK win by 3 runs
In a nutshell
It's becoming a bit of a jinx, this match-up. Whatever the situation, however favourable the circumstances, West Indies just cannot seem to get over the line against Pakistan. It was no different today as a thrilling final over from Hasan Ali that swung one way and then the other saw Pakistan cling on to a three-run win at the Queen's Park Oval. It was a game they had no business laying claim to for much of a contest that was worlds removed from the cakewalk the visitors enjoyed in Barbados.
West Indies' chase of 133 began with a somewhat clumsy run-out after a collision between Evin Lewis and Shadab Khan, but Marlon Samuels looked in no mood to hang around as he took the attack to Pakistan's bowlers. Imad Wasim came in for particularly severe treatment as one over went for 19. Only a magical spell from legspinner Shadab Khan dragged Pakistan back into the game, crucially dismissing Samuels with the last ball. From thereon, it was always going to be close, and even though two boundaries in the final over looked to have put the West Indies on course, Hasan held his nerve to maintain Pakistan's grip over their hosts.
West Indies will rue a particularly wretched fielding performance, with several balls going through fielders' legs and plenty more fumbled. It detracted from an organised bowling display that had Pakistan on the back foot from the start, with Samuel Badree dismissing Kamran Akmal for a duck in the first over. No batsman could build on a start, and at one point it looked like the visitors might even fail to reach three figures as they slid to 95 for 8. Late blows from Shadab and Wahab Riaz then ensured they would have just enough to bowl at.
Where the game was won
West Indies were their own worst enemy at times, with sloppy fielding gifting Pakistan at least 15 runs. But what they might really rue is giving Pakistan the opportunity to bowl at a competitive total after reducing them to 95 for 8. Shadab and Wahab each played vital cameos in a 36-run stand off just 19 balls. It took Pakistan to 132, a total that had looked ambitious for much of the innings as their batsmen struggled to get any sort of momentum.
The men who won it
Shadab appears to outdo himself every time he steps onto the field, each game replacing the preceding one as the highlight of his career. Tonight, his effort was a legspin masterclass, with the teenager at times the only person standing between West Indies and victory. No batsman could pick his variations, with a pair falling to the legbreak, and two more dismissed after failing to read the googly.
His final over to Marlon Samuels was T20 cricket at its nuanced best. Samuels recognised all he needed to do was see out the over, while nothing less than his wicket would do for Pakistan. It appeared the West Indian had succeeded, before Shadab deceived him off the last ball of his spell with a devilish wrong'un. Samuels could merely edge it to the wicketkeeper, and from that point on, the match began to slip away from the hosts.
Moment of the match
The first four overs of the West Indies innings were ungainly, with batsmen and fielders unable to help themselves colliding into each other; no less than three times did players come together. The first, between Lewis and Shadab, resulted in the batsman being run-out, but the final one was altogether nastier. Samuels defended to point and scampered off for a quick single. Ahmed Shehzad ran in to effect a run out, and found himself in the path of Chadwick Walton. This resulted in a horrible collision, with Walton's knee thumping into Shehzad's upper back and neck, requiring an ambulance to come out on the field and stretcher Shehzad off. It looked worse, but the Pakistan opener was back on the field a few overs later.
Where they stand
Pakistan now cannot lose the four-match series, having taken a 2-0 lead. The third T20I will be played on April 1, at the same venue.
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1st T20
WI 111/8
PAK 115/4
Pakistan win by 6 wickets
In a nutshell
For arguably the two most volatile sides in world cricket, this was a rare predictable day as Pakistan eased to a six-wicket win over the West Indies at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown. Pakistan won the toss, bowled first and stifled the hosts with spin. Chasing 112, Pakistan, as if to stay true to their reputation, lost three top three cheaply, before Shoaib Malik and Babar Azam took control of the chase and steered them home.
The game was dominated by its youngest player: 18-year old Pakistan legspinner Shadab Khan who enjoyed a debut that bordered on the surreal. He took three wickets with his first eight balls in international cricket as West Indies slumped to 49 for 6. Carlos Brathwaite and Kieron Pollard came together, and two of the game's most fearsome hitters were forced to play a consolidating role. Brathwaite managed to inject some momentum in the closing overs, but all that ensured was his sidejust about managed to get to three figures.
Pakistan weren't authoritative in response, with Kamran Akmal and Ahmd Shehzad reminding everyone why they have spent long stints in international wilderness. However, with the asking rate never rising above six, West Indies' spirited display in the field merely delayed the inevitable.
Where the game was won
It has often seemed no total is too small for Pakistan not to slip up on. Here, they slipped to 49 for 3. But the in-form pair of Malik and Babar, quickly establishing a reputation for consistency, had the clear-headedness to steer the chase with risk-free cricket. They rotated the strike regularly and picked off the poor deliveries to eat into the target. By the time Babar sliced a catch to short third man, Pakistan needed only 18 runs off five overs. The hard work had been done.
The men that won it
Shadab Khan may have been warned by his teammates how playing for Islamabad United was far different to playing for Pakistan, that too in an away game. However, the 18-year old made a mockery of the step up, snaring Chadwick Walton and Lendl Simmons within four deliveries. Walton didn't pick the googly while Simmons dragged a legspinning delivery onto the stumps. Remarkably, Shadab's figures of 4-0-7-3 could have been even better had Kamran Akmal, fielding at backward point, not put down a regulation catch.
The streaks continue
This win means Pakistan have now triumphed in each of their last five T20Is, four of them against the West Indies - the other was a commanding nine-wicket win over England. They are unbeaten since losing to Australia at the World T20 last year, and Sarfraz boasts a 100 percent win record in his five games as Pakistan captain in the format. West Indies' losing run, on the other hand, stretches to four - all of them against Pakistan - and have only won one T20 in the six they've played since being crowned World T20 champions in India last year.
Moment of the match
If the PSL was a dream of sorts for Kamran, he was brought sharply back to reality over the course of the afternoon's events. Playing his first international in nearly three years, with captain Sarfraz having taken over the wicketkeeping role, Kamran was tasked with patrolling the backward point area as Shadab bowled. If he was hoping for an uneventful afternoon, he was to be disappointed. With Shadab's figures reading three wickets for three runs, Pollard sliced one, headed for what seemed a straightforward catch to Kamran. The 35-year old was painfully slow to move towards the ball, and though he reached it in time, put it down, burnishing his reputation for butterfingers even further.
What was more, this was only the second time Kamran was playing as a specialist batsman. The other came in a game against South Africa in 2007. He had dropped a catch then too, Loots Bosman being the batsman reprieved.
Where they stand
Pakistan take a 1-0 lead. The series now moves to Trinidad & Tobago, where the remaining three matches will be played.
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