HOPE, SEALES HELP WINDIES END 34-YEAR DROUGHT AGAINST PAKISTAN

Courtesy of @wiplayers
Man of the Match Shai Hope celebrates his century against Pakistan during the third and final One-Day International in Trinidad and Tobago yesterday. Hope scored an unbeaten 120

A SENSATIONAL, unbeaten century from skipper Shai Hope, followed by a devastating spell of fast bowling by Jayden Seales piloted the West Indies to a historic 202-run victory over Pakistan at the Brian Lara Cricket Stadium yesterday.

Their heroics ended a 34-year-long wait for a bilateral One-Day International (ODI) series win over Pakistan, having last defeated them in 1991, and was also their largest ever win over the visitors.

It also gave the West Indies their first ODI series win for 2025, following defeats to England and Pakistan and a drawn series against Ireland.

Player-of-the-Match Hope produced a master class of an innings in scoring 120 not out and was the main reason the home side posted a formidable 294 for six in their 50 overs after they were sent in to bat.

Seales, who was named Player of the Series after finishing with 10 wickets, then wrecked Pakistan’s top order on his way to the joint second-best figures (6-18) by a West Indies man in ODI cricket, to bundle them out for just 92 in 29.2 overs.

The West Indies were stifled by a slow start, and by the end of the 14th over, had progressed to 57 for the loss of openers Brandon King and Evin Lewis for five and 37, respectively.

Abrar Ahmed looked out of sorts for the second straight match before Abrar Ahmed dismissed him yet again for 17 from 45 balls, and when Sherfane Rutherford lost his wicket to Saim Ayub for a laboured 15 from 40 balls, West Indies fell to 113 for four in the 31st over, a run rate of less than four runs an over.

Courtesy of @wiplayers
West Indies Player of the Series Jayden Seales (second right) celebrates with teammates after taking a Pakistan wicket during yesterday’s third and final One-Day International at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Trinidad and Tobago. Seales bagged six for 18.

Hope found a useful ally in Roston Chase, and the pair added 64 runs in 10 overs to get the West Indies going.

During that period, Hope reached his half-century off 54 balls with a paddle sweep off spinner Mohammad Nawaz that brought him three runs.

Chase hit two huge sixes and three fours in his knock before he was undone by an excellent yorker from pacer Naseem Shah to leave the Windies 177 for five in the 41st over.

Gudakesh Motie only lasted seven balls before he was caught and bowled by Mohammad Nawaz, and the home side were in real trouble of being bowled out inside their allotted overs.

However, a 110-run partnership between Hope and Justin Greaves completely turned the innings around and left Pakistan’s bowlers shell shocked.

Hope began the carnage by blasting Mohammad Nawaz for consecutive sixes in the 44th over that yielded 15 runs and followed up by clobbering Ahmed for two sixes and a four in the ensuing over that went for 18, to move into the 90s.

He then brought up his 18th ODI century off 83 balls with a blazing cover drive off Shah that sped away to the boundary.

Greaves then got into the act, hoisting Hasan Ali for a six and a four in the 18th over that also cost 18.

Hope saved his best for the penultimate over, blasting Shah for a six and three fours, and he deservingly ended the innings by hitting Ali over point for another boundary.

In all, he faced 94 balls and struck 10 fours and five sixes while Greaves ended unbeaten on 43 from 24 balls with four fours and two sixes as the West Indies gathered 100 from the last seven overs.

Pakistan’s run chase suffered an early setback when Seales had Ayub caught behind with the third ball of the innings without a run on the board.

Things went from bad to worse for the visitors when the fast bowler had Abdullah Shafique caught at mid-on by Motie, also for a duck, and then bowled captain Mohammad Rizwan first ball with an inswinger that he left alone, to leave Pakistan in tatters at eight for three.

The match was essentially over when Seales trapped Babar Azam lbw for nine as Pakistan fell to 23 for four.

Hasan Nawaz and Salman Agha tried their best in a 38-run partnership for the fifth wicket, but once Motie had the former stumped as he tried to hit him out of the ground, the end came swiftly.

Hussain Talat was bowled by a quicker delivery from Chase, and Motie snapped up a sharp caught-and-bowled opportunity to dismiss Agha for the topscore of 30 to make the score 70 for seven.

Seales then returned to dismiss Shah and Ali cheaply, and Chase ran out Abrar Ahmed to finish the match and spark wild celebrations among the West Indies players and fans.

PAKISTANI SPINNER NORMAN ALI TAKES HISTORIC TEST HAT-TRICK AS WINDIES COLLAPSE

Veteran Pakistan tweaker Noman Ali became the fifth male bowler from his country to take a Test hat-trick and the first male spinner of his nationality to do so in a destruction of the West Indies on Saturday.

The West Indies' tail-enders wagged in Multan to propel the touring side to 163 in the second match of the two-Test series, but at one stage the visitors were reeling at 7-38 and in danger of being skittled for their lowest total in Test history, which remains the 47 they were rolled for by England in Kingston in 2004.

Ali, a left-arm orthodox bowler featuring in his 19th Test at the age of 38, snared the first wicket of his hat-trick when he drew Justin Greaves forward and had him caught at second slip, removing him for 1.

The finger spinner took the second wicket of his hat-trick when he lulled Tevin Imlach into sweeping and trapped him lbw. The Pakistanis screamed at Australian umpire Paul Reiffel for a long time, but his finger eventually went up.

And Ali completed his hat-trick when he claimed the wicket of Kevin Sinclair, who perished in similar fashion to Greaves.

The hat-trick hero broke into a celebratory sprint with his hands thrust above his head as his teammates swamped him at Multan Cricket Stadium.

The only other Pakistani men who've taken a Test hat-trick are Wasim Akram (the legendary left-armer did so twice), Abdul Razzaq, Mohammad Sami and Naseem Shah.

Shaiza Khan, a Pakistani leg-spinner in women's cricket in the 1990s and 2000s, also took a Test hat-trick.

The previous man of any nationality to take a Test hat-trick was England quick Gus Atkinson, who stunned New Zealand in Wellington in December.

In Multan on Saturday, the West Indies' No.9, No.10 and No.11 made the visitors' highest scores of the innings, with Gudakesh Motie chalking up 55, Kemar Roach 25 and Jomel Warrican an unbeaten 36.

The only other West Indies batter who reached double digits was No.4 Kavem Hodge, who lost his wicket for 21.

The West Indies collapsed from 2-32 to 7-38, then were bowled out for 163 in the 42nd over.

Ali finished with the figures of 6-41, but the best Test innings figures of his career remain the 8-46 he took against England at the same ground in October.

- Zachary Gates