The West Indies have tied the three-match One Day International (ODI) series against Pakistan, following their victory on Sunday evening in front of a small but boisterous crowd at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba, Trinidad & Tobago. This win marks their first in the last five ODIs against Pakistan.
Having won the toss and electing to field first, the West Indies bowling attack tore into the visitors’ batting lineup, taking wickets at regular intervals during a rain-affected innings. Pakistan struggled to build partnerships but eventually reached 171-7 before the weather ended their innings prematurely, with 37 overs bowled. Jayden Seales was the pick of the bowlers, finishing with figures of 3-23.
With the game reduced to 35 overs and a Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) adjusted target of 181, the Men in Maroon lost Brandon King and Evin Lewis early, both edging to the bowling of Hasan Ali. Boundaries were hard to come by in the early stages, but a brisk 54-run partnership between Sherfane Rutherford and skipper Shai Hope swung the momentum in the hosts’ favour.
The match would swing back towards Pakistan as their spinners applied pressure following the dismissals of Rutherford and Hope. The West Indies needed a hero, and on the day, that hero was Man of the Match Roston Chase. The Barbadian all-rounder, after a slow start, produced an unbeaten 49 to guide his team to a five-wicket win via the DLS method. He was well supported by Justin Greaves, who finished unbeaten on 26 as part of an unbroken 77-run stand for the sixth wicket.
Reflecting on the win, captain Shai Hope said: “We always speak about partnerships. We just want to get better in every area. Happy with the win today.”
The victory leaves all to play for in Tuesday’s decider.
