NEEDING to win the match to stay alive in the three-match series, Pakistan successfully overcame the inertia in its ranks and put together a fine performance to demolish West Indies by 74 runs and restore parity in the three-match One Day International (ODI) series at the Guyana National Stadium yesterday.

The result was a big disappointment for the home crowd, which had turned out in their thousands, expecting a West Indies win but the visitors spoiled the party with a better show of discipline and all-round efficiency.

The tourists recovered from a shaky start to post a healthy total of 282, largely due to a composed innings from man-of-the-match Babar Azam and a late flourish at the back end of the innings.

In the chase, West Indies folded up for 208 in 44.5 overs despite Jason Holder’s 87-ball 68 and Ashley Nurse’s 44, making a resolute bid to salvage the match.

Pakistan’s bowling was led by a career-best (5-38) from medium pacer Hasan Ali,and supported by Mohammed Hafeez (2-23) and a wicket apiece from Mohammed Amir, Junaid Khan and Shadad Khan.

During Pakistan’s innings Imad Wasim supported Azam during the late onslaught with an unbeaten 35-ball 43, as the duo shared 99 runs in an unbroken sixth-wicket stand in 11.2 overs,but most of the damage was done during the last seven overs in which 84 runs were scored.

The 22-year-old Azam enhanced his promising reputation with his fifth ODI hundred and fourth against West Indies in five innings; he ended unbeaten on a career-best 125 off 132 balls with seven fours and three sixes.

Azam was technically correct in defense and there was a display of solid strokes coupled with risk-free cricket. He was definitely the mainstay in Pakistan’s innings as batsmen around him struggled to build on starts after they slipped to 46-2 at the end of the tenth over.

The hosts played with the same side that won the first ODI in dramatic fashion, while Pakistan made one change, replacing Wahab Riaz with Junaid Khan.

After West Indies decided to bowl, seamers Shannon Gabriel and Jason Holder were able to generate movement through the air with the new ball and hardly allowed the Pakistani openers any attacking options .

To make matters worse, the visitors lost Ahmed Shehzad(5) at the end of the fifth over, caught down the leg side off Gabriel who ended with 2-50.

Three balls later,Chadwick Walton floored a simple catch off Kamran Akmal.However, the reprieve allowed only a few boundaries from Azam and Akmal before Alzarri Joseph struck in his first over when he had the latter taken in identical fashion to Shehzad, for a 27-ball 21.

Azam and Hafeez were then forced to stabilize the innings with singles and a few boundaries as the third-wicket stand climbed up to 69 runs and kept the bowlers at bay.

However, in a crucial juncture of play, the hosts snatched two quick wickets through spinners Ashley Nurse and Devendra Bishoo,who both managed to get prodigious turn out of a surface that had only provided fleeting assistance to the spinners two days earlier.

Nurse had Hafeez stumped down the leg-side for a laboured 32 off 50 deliveries, while Bishoo claimed the wicket of Shoaib Malik.

Captain Sarfraz Ahmed joined Azam and shared a stand of 55 from 59 balls to revitalize Pakistan’s innings. However, Gabriel had good reason to celebrate when he removed Ahmed for 26. That dismissal seem to have had no impact on Azam at the other end as, in company with Wasim,he went on to raise his ton off 123 balls.

He reached three figures with a single off Joseph at the start of the 48th over and celebrated the landmark by kissing the turf.

Thereafter, five of Pakistan’s six sixes came off the last three overs – two off the hapless Jonathan Carter in a 50th over that cost 19.

West Indies run chase started in dramatic fashion with a dropped catch off Evin Lewis and four boundaries in the first three overs,but poor strokeplay proved their downfall thereafter.

Pakistan took full advantage of those lapses, tightening the screws and from being 22 without loss, West Indies slipped to 75-6 in the 18th over.

Junaid Khan removed Walton (10), Amir trapped Lewis (13) in front, Ali claimed the wicket of Shai Hope (15) and Kieran Powell (11), while Hafeez removed Jason Mohammed (1) and Carter (12).

However, Holder and Nurse provided the crowd with an entertaining seventh-wicket stand of 58 runs before Ali returned to claim the final three wickets.

With the series tied 1-1, the focus now shifts to Tuesday’s decider.

SCOREBAORD

Pakistan innings
A Shehzad c †Hope b Gabriel 5
K Akmal c †Hope b Joseph 21
B Azam not out 125
M Hafeez st †Hope b Nurse 32
S Malik c †Hope b Bishoo 9
S Ahmed*† c Walton b Gabriel 26
I Wasim not out 43
Extras: (b 1, lb 9, w 9, nb 2) 21
Total: (5 wickets; 50 overs) 282
Fall of wickets: 1-16, 2-44, 3-113, 4-128, 5-183
Bowling: S Gabriel 10-1-50-2, J Holder 9-0-48-0, A Joseph 9-0-69-1, D Bishoo 10-0-40-1, A Nurse 10-0-42-1, J Carter 2-0-23-0

West Indies innings
E Lewis lbw b Amir 13
C Walton c Hasan Ali b Junaid Khan 10
S Hope† c Shadab Khan b Hasan Ali 15
K Powell lbw b Hasan Ali 11
J Carter lbw b Hafeez 12
J Mohammed c †Sarfraz Ahmed b Hafeez 1
JO Holder c Babar Azam b Hasan Ali 68
A Nurse lbw b Hasan Ali 44
D Bishoo lbw b Shadab Khan 16
A Joseph c Azam b Hasan Ali 15
S Gabriel not out 0
Extras: (lb 1, w 2) 3
Total: (all out; 44.5 overs) 208
Fall of wickets: 1-22, 2-27, 3-46, 4-51, 5-56, 6-75, 7-133, 8-156, 9-208, 10-208
Bowling: M Amir 7-1-36-1, J Khan 6-0-41-1, H Ali 8.5-1-38-5, M Hafeez 6-0-23-2, I Wasim 7-0-29-0, S Khan 10-1-40-1