West Indies secured their first bilateral ODI series victory against Pakistan since 1991 with a commanding 202-run win at Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba, Trinidad and Tobago on Tuesday. Captain Shai Hope’s unbeaten century of 120 runs and pace bowler Jayden Seales’ impressive six-wicket haul led the Caribbean team to this historic triumph.The series win provided a much-needed boost for West Indies cricket following recent defeats across Test and Twenty20 formats to Australia and Pakistan. The victory came after a two-day emergency summit for Caribbean cricket, attended by cricket legends Brian Lara and Clive Lloyd, aimed at improving West Indies’ international performance.“I’m extremely proud of the team,” said the West Indies captain.“There’s been a lot of stress on negatives in the game but now there’s positives to shout about for West Indies cricket,” Hope added.West Indies posted a formidable total of 294-6, with Hope’s outstanding innings featuring five sixes and ten fours off 94 balls. He formed an unbroken seventh-wicket partnership of 110 runs with Justin Greaves, who contributed 43 not out from 24 deliveries.Pakistan’s batting lineup crumbled under pressure, managing only 92 runs in 29.2 overs. The collapse began early with three ducks from their top four batsmen. Saim Ayub was caught behind early, followed by Abdullah Shafique’s dismissal, and captain Mohammad Rizwan was bowled by Seales for a golden duck.Seales dominated the Pakistani batting order, finishing with impressive figures of 6-18 from 7.2 overs. Babar Azam was trapped lbw for 9 runs, while Hasan Nawaz was stumped for 13, and Hussain Talat was bowled for 1. Salman Agha top-scored for Pakistan with 30 runs off 49 balls.
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The series victory marked a significant turnaround for West Indies, who had previously lost eight consecutive matches to Australia and a Twenty20 series 2-1 to Pakistan in Florida. The emergency summit was convened after West Indies’ disappointing performance in Australia, where they were dismissed for just 27 runs in their second innings of the third Test.After losing the ODI series opener to Pakistan by five wickets, West Indies bounced back to level the series with a five-wicket victory in the second match. The decisive third match ended dramatically with Abrar Ahmed being run out by Chase for a golden duck.The comprehensive victory demonstrated West Indies’ resilience and potential for improvement in international cricket. The partnership between Hope and Greaves, along with Seales’ exceptional bowling performance, proved crucial in securing this historic series win.
