… Rampaul, Sammy and Simmons shine
THANKS to an impressive spell of bowling from Ravi Rampaul and Darren Sammy, backed by a pugnacious innings from opener Lendl Summons, the West Indies humiliated Pakistan by 10 wickets in the fifth and final one-day international at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence.
Responding to their guests’ meagre score of 139 made off 41.2 overs, with Muhammad Hafeez top-scoring with 55 against the bowling of Rampaul (4-45) and Sammy (3-30) , Windies reached 140 without loss off 23.3 overs, thanks to Summons’ unbeaten 77 (73 balls, 7×4; 3×6).
Winning the toss and opting to take first strike, Pakistan must have been smiling all the way back to Islamabad, when Hafeez pulled the first delivery of the match from Rampaul through forward sqaure leg for four.
But the bowler responded by disturbing the stumps of Taufeeq Umar (3) off the inside edge in the fifth over, before he was struck through extra cover by Hafeez, followed by another boundary through point, as Pakistan who went into the match with a 3-1 lead, reached 36-1 after 10 overs.
Disciplined bowling from the home team, ensured the Pakistanis got to 51 runs at the end of 16 overs, losing the wicket of Ahmad Shahzad (9) who played onto a delivery from Sammy, when he attempted to pull a short delivery somewhere through the midwicket region.
Anthony Martin was asked to bowl the new ball with Rampaul and he was struck for four through midwicket by Hafeez, who also pulled Sammy through the same area for another one of his six fours, before he lost Usman Salahuddin (8) who was given out lbw to Devendra Bishoo (1-26).
Misbah-ul-Haq (1) has always been a thorn in the home team’s flesh during the series but he did not get a chance to create any problems as he played around a delivery from Sammy and was sent to the cool confines of the dressing room, leaving Pakistan on 72 for 4.
Hafeez posted his half-century from 66 balls with six fours before he was bowled by Sammy at 93 for 5, which became 113 for 8, following the quick demise of Umran Akmal (24), Shahid Afridi (9) and Wahab Riaz (0) all to Rampaul who bowled with pace and control in his second spell.
Muhammad Salman who was unbeaten on 19 and Saeed Ajmal (5) took the score to 127 before Dwayne Bravo (2-16) trapped the latter lbw and even though Salman struck two fours off Rampaul and Dwayne Bravo, the West Indies removed Junaid Khan (1) in the first over of the batting power play to close off the visitors’ innings.
Asked to bat six overs before the luncheon break, Simmons and Kirk Edwards started in a canter, pushing their team to 34 without loss, with Simmons who turned Afridi to fine leg for four in the first over on 17 and Edwards 7.
When play resumed after lunch, Edwards drove Riaz back past him for four with authority in consecutive overs, while a Simmons’ drive through extra cover off Ajmal raised the Windies 50 from 10.3 overs, as the West Indies sought to achieve a morale-boosting win ahead of the Test match.
Simmons was given a chance by Hafeez at slip off Ajmal, with the ball making its way to the third man fence for four, to which the Trinidad and Tobago opener said thanks with an inside out drive over midoff for four off the next ball.
An Edwards six over midwicket off Hafeez pushed the score to 77 without loss. Simmons posted his sixth half-century at this level when he pushed Afridi to long on for a single off the 50th ball of his innings, hitting seven fours and one six in the process.
The Windies posted their 100 off the final ball of the 19th over of their innings, with Simmons going great guns on 57 while Edwards was content to play the supporting role on 25, before Simmons opened his shoulders with a six over long on off Afridi.
A Riaz free-hit was dispatched with disdain by Summons over midwicket for six while Edwards refused to be left out of the boundary-hitting show, as he struck Ajmal for four to push the West Indies to 129 without loss after 22 overs.
The home team sealed off the victory when Summons pushed a free hit from Shahzad to short third man and scampered through for a single, which turned into two as Afridi threw the ball wide in his attempt to run-out Edwards, giving the openers the overthrow.
Simmons was declared the man-of-the- match, while Hafeez, whose exemplary performance throughout the series, moreso the first three matches allowed his team to take the series, was declared the man-of-the-series.

PAKISTAN innings
M. Hafeez b Sammy    55
T. Umar c Baugh b Rampaul    3
A. Shahzad b Sammy    9
U. Salahuddin lbw Bishoo    8
Misbah-ul-Haq lbw Sammy    1
U. Akmal b Rampaul    24
S. Afridi c Baugh b Rampaul    9
M. Salman not out    19
W. Riaz c Sammy b Rampaul    0
S. Ajmal lbw DJ Bravo    5
J. Khan lbw DJ Bravo    1
Extras: (w-4, lb-1)    5
Total: (all out, off 41.2 overs)    139
Fall of wickets: 1-16, 2-48, 3-67, 4-72, 5-93, 6-108, 7-113, 8-113, 9-127.
Bowling: Rampaul 10-1-45-4 (w-1), Martin 9-2-21-0, Sammy 10-1-30-3, Bishoo 7-0-26-1, Bravo 5.2-0-16-2.

WEST INDIES innings
L. Summons not out    77
K. Edwards not out    40
Extras: (w-12, nb-3, b-2, lb-6)    23
Total: (without loss, off 23.3 overs)    140
Bowling: Afridi 6-0-31-0 (w-2), J. Khan 3-1-16-0 (w-1), Riaz 5-0-38-0 (nb-2, w-2), Ajmal 7-0-33-0 (w-3), Hafeez 2-0-10-0, Shahzad 0.3-0-4-0.