…A 92-ball phase saw Hope turbocharge WI’s innings before Seales blew away Pakistan’s specialist batters
KNOWING when it’s time to go is a valuable trait, and if Pakistan were in any doubt their time in the Caribbean was up, West Indies quashed them and sent the visitors out of town with a comprehensive trouncing.

Jayden Seales’ six-wicket haul – the joint second-best figures by a West Indian in men’s ODI cricket – and an unbeaten hundred from Shai Hope put Pakistan to the sword in each innings. It was more than enough to secure West Indies’ first ODI series win over Pakistan in 34 years with their biggest ever win over Pakistan, scything through them for 92 having set them 295 to win.
(Scores: West Indies 294 for 6 (Hope 120*, Greaves 43*, Abrar 2-34) beat Pakistan 92 (Agha 30, Seales 6-18, Motie 2-37) by 202 runs)
It was a 15.2-over passage of play straddling both innings which lay at the heart of West Indies’ dominance, a stunning inversion of a script Pakistan thought they had been writing all along. West Indies struggled to get going on what looked a tricky pitch to negotiate against the slower bowlers, with Mohammad Rizwan greedily getting through as many of their part-time fifth bowling options as possible.

West Indies appeared to have sacrificed an ambitious innings total in exchange for conservatism that at least preserved their wickets, but as a result, they hadn’t yet crossed 200 by the start of the 44th over.

It took one ball to change that, a smeared six from Hope off the first ball from Mohammad Nawaz bringing up that milestone. A second six off the next delivery emphasised his intent, and Pakistan watched frozen as West Indies shuffled themselves off the canvas and began landing body blows Pakistan one after the other.
But it was the third of his six which will serve as the jewel in the crown. Mohammad Rizwan can be tricky to settle on a length to for all his fidgetiness, and as he took a step out, he determined the fourth-stump line on a hard length was safe to leave on both counts.

As he shouldered arms, he would have heard the mildest clink behind him, like ice-cubes tinkling in a glass. The ball had seamed back in and kissed the off bail without even touching the stumps; it could not have been dislodged more clinically if someone picked it up and set it on the ground.
A punch-drunk Pakistan were already dreaming up wild scenarios for how this match could turn, and it’s safe to say they all involved Babar Azam. Babar, though, was a mere plot-point to Seales’ perfect day as he trapped him in front with the batter still in single figures to leave Pakistan reeling at 23 for 4.

It was those 92 balls that defined the game. Pakistan may have started well, but it barely feels like it matters now. The cracks and weaknesses were apparent even then, when Rizwan turned to Hussain Talat for his first deliveries in international cricket after the Powerplay saw them constrict West Indies, only for Evin Lewis to pick him up for two sixes and break the shackles. Abrar was so accurate and menacing he often appeared on the verge of running through West Indies early, and the hosts spent much of the innings batting at a glacial pace well under four runs per over. It does not matter now.

Neither does whatever happened after that fourth Pakistan wicket fell. Salman Ali Agha and Hasan Nawaz had little ambition beyond stealing a few singles each over, even if that made the ultimately Herculean task even more insurmountable as the asking rate spiked. That Pakistan had stripped their side of full-time bowlers for superficial batting depth hardly seemed to matter. They knew they were never getting there anyway, and when the spin of Motie and Chase accounted for them in quick succession, West Indies could see the finish line.
To do the honours, they handed that baton to none other than Seales, who blew past Naseem and Hasan Ali before Abrar jogged through for a single that was never on. Chase effected a direct hit, that sharpness depriving Seales the opportunity to bag the best ever bowling figures in men’s ODIs by a West Indian. For all of the young speedster’s brilliance, the fact Pakistan ensured they had a final say in their own downfall felt somewhat apt. (ESPN Cricinfo)

Brandon King c Salman b Shah 5
Evin Lewis c sub (Haris) b Ahmed 37
Keacy Carty lbw b Ahmed 17
*+Shai Hope not out 120
Sherfane Rutherford c Talat b Ayub 15
Roston Chase b Shah 36
Gudakesh Motie c&b Nawaz 5
Justin Greaves not out 43
Extras (lb6, nb1, w9) 16
TOTAL (six wickets; 50 overs) 294
Did not bat: Romario Shepherd, Shamar Joseph, Jayden Seales.
Fall of wickets: 1-10, 2-57, 3-68, 4-113, 5-177, 6-184.
Bowling: Shah 10-0-72-2, Ali 10-1-60-0, Talat 4-0-26-0, Ahmed 9-1-34-2, Ayub 8-0-36-1, M Nawaz 9-0-60-1.
PAKISTAN
Saim Ayub c +Hope b Seales 0
Abdullah Shafique c Motie b Seales 0
Babar Azam lbw b Seales 9
*+Mohammad Rizwan b Seales 0
Salman Agha c&b Motie 30
Hasan Nawaz st +Hope b Motie 11
Hussain Talat b Chase 1
Mohammad Nawaz not out 23
Naseem Shah c&b Seales 6
Hasan Ali b Seales 0
Abrar Ahmed run out 0
Extras (b4, w6) 10
TOTAL (all out; 29.2 overs) 92
Fall of wickets: 1-0, 2-8, 3-8, 4-23, 5-61, 6-62, 7-70, 8-92, 9-92, 10-92.
Bowling: Seales 7.2-0-18-6, Shepherd 5-2-10-0, Joseph 4-0-7-0, Motie 7-0-37-2, Chase 6-1-16-1.
Result: West Indies won by 202 runs to win the three-match series 2-1.
Player-of-the-Match: Shai Hope.
Player-of-the-Series: Jayden Seales.