MULTAN: Pakistan have swept the three-match one-day international series against the West Indies at the Multan International Cricket Stadium, with a match to spare.
The second match’s win became possible due to sensational batting from skipper Babar Azam and Imam-ul-Haq and Mohammad Nawaz’s exemplary bowling.
Nawaz claimed four wickets and Mohammad Wasim Jr took three wickets as Pakistan beat West Indies by 120 runs.
The all-rounder spun his magic deliveries to rattle the West Indian batting line-up whereas Wasim, who replaced Hassan Ali in the line-up, bagged three crucial wickets.
Earlier, batting first, Pakistani captain Babar Azam and opener Imam-ul-Haq played sensational knocks0, smashing half-tons, to take their side to 275-8 against a disciplined West Indies bowling in Multan on Friday.
Azam scored 93-ball 77 and Haq run-a-ball 72 — both hitting sixth consecutive half-centuries in successive one-day internationals — before the home team lost track in the middle overs.
Pakistan, who won the toss and batted in the sweltering conditions in Multan, were cruising along nicely at 187-2 with Azam set for his fourth hundred in as many ODIs when spinner Akeal Hosein dismissed Pakistan skipper in the 36th over.
Azam, who became the first batter in ODI cricket to score three hundred in as many matches on two occasions on Wednesday, gave a return catch to Hosein.
Azam, who hit five boundaries and a six, failed to equal Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara’s record of four hundreds in as many ODIs scored in the 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
He had set the tempo with a 120-run second-wicket stand with Haq — their fourth successive 100-plus stand — before Haq was run out, without watching his static partner while going for a single.
Haq hit six boundaries.
With Azam’s wicket, West Indies grabbed five wickets in the space of 23 balls for 20 runs to derail Pakistan, with Hosein (3-52) and Alzarri Joseph (2-33) sharing the spoils.
Fast bowler Anderson Phillip also chipped in with 2-50.
Joseph had Mohammad Haris (six) and Shadab Khan (22) while Hosein also had Mohammad Rizwan (15) and Mohammad Nawaz (three).
Khushdil Shah (22), Mohammad Wasim (17 not out) and Shaheen Shah Afridi (15 not out) took the total past 250.
Pakistan leads the three-match series 1-0 after winning the first match — also in Multan — by five wickets on Wednesday.
