Brighto Paints Q-Mobile ODI Series...Malik’s unbeaten 100 and Hafeez’s 81 give Pakistan 2-1 series win

Brighto Paints Q-Mobile ODI Series…Malik’s unbeaten 100 and Hafeez’s 81 give Pakistan 2-1 series win

Apr 12, 2017 Sports

By Sean Devers
Pakistan’s two most experienced batsmen, Mohammed Hafeez and Shoaib Malik, with a

Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Hafeez put on a century stand, West Indies v Pakistan, 3rd ODI, Providence, © AFP

combined age of 71 and 420 ODIs between them, shared in an important 113-run fourth wicket stand to see their team to a 2-1 series with a crushing six-wicket win at Providence yesterday in the final game of Brighto Paints Q-Mobile series against West Indies, whose automatic qualification for the 2019 World Cup is now in jeopardy.
Hunting their first series win since 2014 when they beat Bangladesh 3-0, West Indies were restricted to 233-9 off 50 overs despite a 101-run fourth wicket stand between Shai Hope, whose pedestrian paced 71 lasted 112 balls with a four and two sixes and Jason Mohammed, who followed up his match winning 91 in the second ODI with a 64-ball 59 with five fours and two sixes.
Excellent ‘death’ bowling by the Pakistanis ensured the last four overs cost 21 runs and produced three wickets to restrict the Windies as Mohammed Amir (2-41), Junaid Khan (2-60) and 18-year-old Shadab Khan (2-57) took the wickets for Pakistan who reached 236-4 from 43.3 overs.
An attacking 81 from 86 balls with eight fours and two sixes from 36-year-old Hafeez and a solid unbeaten 100 from 111 balls with eight fours and two sixes from 35-year-old Shoaib Malik ensured Pakistan had not lost an ODI series to West Indies since 1991 when the Caribbean side, under Richie Richardson, won 2-0 in Pakistan.
Pakistan began their run-chase in horrendous fashion when Shannon Gabriel had Kamran

Akmal for a first ball duck and could have had also Ahmed Shehzad before he had scored in his next over had Chadwick Walton at mid-on not floored a regulation catch.
Babar Azam punched Gabriel imperiously for four past extra-cover to rekindle memories of his master-class century on Sunday.
Shai Hope held an acrobatic catch off Skipper Jason Holder, diving full length to his right to send Shehzad (3) on his way at 16-2 and when Gabriel scattered the stumps of Azad (16) at 36-3 in the 9thover, the fans were dancing in the stands.
Malik cut Holder for four and Hafeez greeted Devendra Bishoo with a boundary off his first ball, while Veerasammy Permaul, back in ODI colors for the first since November 2013, was introduced to bowl in tandem with his Albion team mate for the first time in an ODI and the pair was not short of encouragement from the crowd which had built up close to 4,000.
Hafeez, scoring much faster than in his last innings, cut Permaul for four and swept Bishoo for four behind square, while Malik hit Permaul for a couple of fours in his third over.
Ashley Nurse was pulled for four by Hafeez to post his 31st ODI fifty from 58 balls with six fours, while Hafeez wacked Gabriel over his head for six and pulled for four and the game was beginning to slip away from the West Indies.
With Permaul proving expensive, Mohammed was introduced and Hafeez danced into him and lofted an effortless six.
Hafeez was removed by Nurse at 149-4 with Pakistan needing 84 from 20 overs and Malik, who finished the game with a six to reach his ninth ODI hundred, featured in an unbroken 87-run stand with Skipper Sarfraz Ahmed (24).
Earlier, Evin Lewis got going with a square driven boundary off Junaid Khan in the first over, while Walton stroked Mohammed Amir past point and through mid-on for boundaries.
But with the score on 31 Lewis (16) impetuously hooked Junaid Khan to Hafeez before Walton, who reached the boundary thrice from 27 balls, was bowled by Hasan Ali at 40-2.
The 50 posted in 12 overs and Kieran Powell (16) was dropped off Imad Wasim before edging a boundary in the same over as the pair struggled to score.
As the pressure mounted Powell lost his head and his wicket when he charged Wasim and was stumped after taking 34 balls for his 23 and the Windies, who had inspired renewed confidence among their die-hard fans with their first match win, were precariously placed at 68-3.
But Hope was still there and was joined by the in-form Mohammed, the hero of Sunday’s win. But on a track which was offering more help to the spinners than in the first two games, level-headed batting with plenty of common sense were needed.
Mohammed greeted leg-spinner Shadab Khan with a flowing cover drive for four and despite the lack of boundaries, the partnership was gradually building.
Mohammed pulled Ali for six, while Hope swept his 74th ball for his only four to move into the thirties before Mohammed hit a boundary off Shadab Khan’s last ball as both batsmen made concerted efforts to step on the gas and the partnership reached 50.
Mohammed was beginning to find his touch and deposited Ali high to mid-wicket where Shoaib Malik took the catch but stepped over the boundary. Hope then pulled Amir for four as the tempo picked up to the delight of the gathering which included the touring American youth cricketers.
Mohammed soon reached his fourth ODI 50 from 59 balls with three fours and two sixes, while Hope reached fifty for the second time in ODIs. His first was converted into three figures and his half-century came from 97 balls and included one boundary.
Mohammed celebrated with consecutive boundaries off Junaid Khan before he edged the pacer to the Keeper two balls later to leave West Indies on 169-4 in 41 overs to end the 101-run stand.
Shadab Khan was back and Hope, desperate to improve his poor strike rate, dumped him over mid-wicket for six, while Jonathon Carter (11) lofted Shadab Khan for six before being bowled by the leggie at 192-5 in the 44th over.
Hope changed gear and clobbered Junaid Khan for six and dumped Shadab Khan onto the roof of the stand but was taken at long-on attempting another big hit off the leg-spinner at 211-6 in the 46thover.
West Indies then lost three wickets in their last four overs as Pakistan maintained their stranglehold.
West Indies will play eight more ODIs (three against Afghanistan in the Caribbean and five against England in England) before September 30, the cut-off date for teams ranked below eight to play in a qualifying tournament next year for the 2019 World Cup. West Indies are ninth just below Pakistan, who will play in Champion’s Trophy in June.