GROS ISLET (St Lucia), May 22: Pakistan again exposed the fragility of the West Indies’ batting to clinch a comfortable 40-run triumph to win their maiden One-day International series in the Caribbean on Saturday (partly reported in Sunday’s edition).

West Indies were dismissed for 218 in 48.2 overs, chasing 259 to win in the second one-dayer, to concede an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the best-of-three series.

Pakistan also won the opening match of the series on Wednesday at Arnos Vale by 59 runs.

Runako Morton, playing in his fourth ODI, was the top scorer for West Indies with seven fours in 55 from 98 balls.

Outside of Morton, Chris Gayle gave the innings the usual flourish at the top of the order with five fours and one six in 43 from 45 balls, and Courtney Browne hit two fours and two sixes in late flurry of 35 from 29 balls, but no other batsman came to grips with the steady, if not menacing Pakistan bowling.

Shahid Afridi collected four wickets for 38 runs from his allotment of 10 overs with his leg-spin missiles to be the pick of the Pakistan bowlers.

Half-centuries from Shoaib Malik, who was later named Man-of-the-Match, and Pakistan captain Inzamamul Haq had helped the visitors post a competitive 258 for eight from their 50 overs.

Shoaib, who Gayle dropped on one at first slip off Daren Powell in the ninth over, and Inzamam both hit three boundaries and both scored 51 from 91 and 58 balls respectively.

The two added 55 for the fourth wicket to lead consistent batting right down the order from the Pakistanis, who also got 48 from Younis Khan.

Corey Collymore snared three wickets for 40 runs from his allotment of 10 overs to be the most successful West Indies bowler.

West Indies had problems from early, when Pakistan keeper Kamran Akmal and first slip fielder Younis Khan muffed a chance to remove teenaged opening batsman Xavier Marshall, clearly out of his depth, in the first over off Rana Navedul Hasan.

Rana Naved eventually got his man, when Marshall sliced a drive and was caught at gully for seven in the fifth over.

Gayle continued to play his strokes freely, but Shabbir Ahmed bowled him in the 14th over and the West Indies innings continued to wobble.

Morton and Wavell Hinds, who came together when the total was 114 for four in the 25th over, added 49 for the fifth wicket in the best partnership of the innings.

They however, were removed in a period when West Indies lost three wickets for nine runs in the space of 14 balls to subside to 172 for seven in the 40th over, and literally give up the ghost.

Earlier, Pakistan, who chose to bat in ideal conditions, suffered two setbacks inside the first 10 overs, when Shahid Afridi was caught at mid-off for 12 off Powell, who smartly fielded to his own bowling, and effected the run out of Salman Butt for 16 to leave the visitors 33 for two in the seventh over.

Yousuf Youhana joined Shoaib and was just beginning to seize control, when Hinds, bowling his part-time medium pace, had him caught behind for 21, essaying a drive in the 20th over to leave Pakistan 81 for three.

The wicket of Shoaib, who was run out when he failed to beat Shivnarine Chanderpaul’s direct hit at the bowler’s end from mid-on in the 31st over, and Inzamam retiring hurt on 33, after one of Gayle’s off-spin darts struck in the groin region in the 36th over, slowed Pakistan down.

Abdul Razzaq came to the wicket to replace Inzamam and with Younis lifted the tempo, but Collymore bowled him for 20 in the 41st over, and the Pakistanis could only make steady, and not flourishing, progress towards the close of their innings.

Scoreboard

PAKISTAN:

Salman Butt run out 16

Shahid Afridi c Hinds b Powell 12

Shoaib Malik run out 51

Yousuf Youhana c Browne b Hinds 21

Inzamamul Haq c Bravo b Gayle 51

Younis Khan c Gayle b Collymore 48

Abdul Razzaq b Collymore 20

Kamran Akmal not out 24

Rana Navedul Hasan c and b Collymore 1

Rao Iftikhar not out 1

EXTRAS (LB-1, W-11, NB-1) 13

TOTAL (for eight wkts, 50 overs) 258

FALL OF WKTS: 1-27, 2-33, 3-81, 4-136, 5-186, 6-222, 7-255, 8-257.

DID NOT BAT: Shabbir Ahmed.

BOWLING: Powell 7-1-27-1 (1nb, 2w); Bradshaw 7-0-27-0 (4w); Collymore 10-1-40-3; Hinds 6-0-38-1; Gayle 10-0-50-1 (1w); Bravo 10-0-75-0 (3w).

WEST INDIES:

C.H. Gayle b Shabbir 43

X.M. Marshall c Salman b Rana Naved 7

R.R. Sarwan run out 17

R.S. Morton b Afridi 55

S. Chanderpaul run out 3

W.W. Hinds b Afridi 22

D.J.J. Bravo lbw b Afridi 0

C.O. Browne b Rana Naved 35

I.D.R. Bradshaw b Afridi 5

D.B. Powell b Rao Iftikhar 3

C.D. Collymore not out 0

EXTRAS (B-2, LB-7, W-5, NB-14) 28

TOTAL (all out, 48.2 overs) 218

FALL OF WKTS: 1-25, 2-67, 3-93, 4-114, 5-163, 6-163, 7-172, 8-192, 9-218.

BOWLING: Rana Navedul Hasan 6.2-0-20-2 (3nb); Shabbir Ahmed 7-0-38-1 (1nb, 1w); Rao Iftikhar 9-0-35-1 (1nb, 1w); Abdul Razzaq 6-1-32-0 (5nb, 1w); Shahid Afridi 10-1-38-4 (2nb, 1w); Shoaib Malik 10-1-46-0 (2nb, 1w).

RESULT: Pakistan won by 40 runs to lead three-match series 2-0.

UMPIRES: B. Doctrove (West Indies) and D.B. Hair (Australia).

TV UMPIRE: E.A. Nicholls (West Indies).

MATCH REFEREE: R.S. Madugalle (Sri Lanka).

MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Shoaib Malik.

NOTE: Inzamam retired hurt from 4-153 to 5-186 in Pakistan’s innings.—AFP