West Indies beat Pakistan by seven wickets in third T20

Published April 2, 2017
West Indies' Evin Lewis plays a shot during the third of four-T20I-match. -AFP
West Indies' Evin Lewis plays a shot during the third of four-T20I-match. -AFP

West Indies beat Pakistan by seven wickets in the third T20 match on Saturday at the Queen’s Park Oval in Port of Spain, Trinidad.

Pakistan frittered away a promising position but still managed to post a competitive 137 for eight in the third T20 International against the West Indies at the Queen's Park Oval in Trinidad on Saturday.

Veteran Kamran Akmal (48) and Babar Azam (43) had the visitors well poised for a total in excess of 160 as they put on 88 runs for the second wicket after Samuel Badree had removed Ahmed Shehzad and Imad Wasim in the first over of the match.

However, the introduction of Marlon Samuels for his first bowl in international cricket for 18 months following the remodelling of his action earned the home side a vital breakthrough and turned the tide of play.

Samuels' first delivery was an inviting waist-high full toss which Akmal attempted to heave out of the ground but could only find Lendl Simmons on the midwicket boundary.

New man Shoaib Malik, Pakistan's top scorer in the thrilling three-run win on Thursday at the same venue, didn't last long as he flicked a full-length delivery from West Indies captain Carlos Brathwaite unerringly to Evin Lewis at long-leg.

Pakistan struggled for runs the rest of the way with a desperate West Indies team batting to limit the total to manageable proportions.

Just 45 runs came off the last eight overs with Badree the pick of the bowlers in claiming two for 22.

Holding an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the series the visitors named an unchanged team with the focus again on talented leg-spinner Shadab Khan, who marked his first appearances at senior international level in this format of the game with successive man of the match performances.

Needing victory to keep interest in the series alive ahead of the final match on Sunday, West Indies made one change with batsman and occasional off-spinner Jason Mohammed making his T20 International debut at the expense of all-rounder Rovman Powell.

Opinion

Editorial

Judiciary’s SOS
Updated 28 Mar, 2024

Judiciary’s SOS

The ball is now in CJP Isa’s court, and he will feel pressure to take action.
Data protection
28 Mar, 2024

Data protection

WHAT do we want? Data protection laws. When do we want them? Immediately. Without delay, if we are to prevent ...
Selling humans
28 Mar, 2024

Selling humans

HUMAN traders feed off economic distress; they peddle promises of a better life to the impoverished who, mired in...
New terror wave
Updated 27 Mar, 2024

New terror wave

The time has come for decisive government action against militancy.
Development costs
27 Mar, 2024

Development costs

A HEFTY escalation of 30pc in the cost of ongoing federal development schemes is one of the many decisions where the...
Aitchison controversy
Updated 27 Mar, 2024

Aitchison controversy

It is hoped that higher authorities realise that politics and nepotism have no place in schools.