Pakistan take a piece of history off West Indies by AFP

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Ground:	Beausejour Stadium, Gros Islet
Scorecard:	West Indies v Pakistan
Player:	Yasir Hameed, Shahid Afridi, Bazid Khan, Mohammad Yousuf, Kamran Akmal, CH Gayle
Event:	Pakistan in West Indies 2004/05

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DateLine: 22nd May 2005

 

Pakistan became the second team to complete a clean sweep of an international cricket series in the Caribbean when they won the third and final one-day international against West Indies by 22 runs.

 

Having set West Indies a record 304 to win from 50 overs, the Pakistanis dismissed their hosts for 281 in 49.3 overs, despite Chris Gayle hitting his 11th one-day hundred.

 

Abdul Razzaq was the pick of the Pakistan bowlers with four wickets for 45 runs from 6.3 overs, and gained good support from Rana Naved-ul-Hasan with three for 48 from nine overs, and Shoaib Malik, who took two for 41 from eight overs.

 

Pakistan also won the first ODI last Wednesday at Arnos Vale by 59 runs, and the second by 40 runs on Saturday here.

 

Consistent batting from their top-order batsmen had helped the visitors post a record 303 for six from their allocation of 50 overs after being sent in to bat.

 

Bazid Khan, a replacement for injured regular Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq, and one of three changes to the visitors' line-up for the match, hit four boundaries in the top score of 66 from 97 balls.

 

Shahid Afridi got things going for the visitors with half-dozen fours and a couple of sixes in 56 from 30 balls, and Yousuf Youhana kept them going with five fours in 50 from 63 balls.

 

Corey Collymore and Ian Bradshaw each collected two wickets to be the most successful West Indies bowlers, who conceded the highest one-day innings total in six matches at the Beausejour Stadium.

 

Gayle, who hit 13 boundaries in 124 from 137 balls, gave West Indies a circumspect start along with fellow left-hander Wavell Hinds.

 

They shared 90 for the first wicket before Hinds was caught behind when he under-edged a cross-batted stroke at a delivery from Shabbir Ahmed in the 16th over.

 

Two overs later, West Indies suffered a major setback, when Ramnaresh Sarwan was caught at short extra cover off Razzaq for four to leave West Indies 96 for two.

 

West Indies captain Shivnarine Chanderpaul added 75 for the third wicket with Gayle to put his side back on track, but he was caught at wide long-off for 33 off Malik at a crucial stage in the 32nd over.

 

Runako Morton played more confidently and added 49 for the fourth wicket with Gayle, who drove Afridi through cover for a single to reach his landmark.

 

Two wickets in the space of five balls put a spanner in the hopes that West Indies would have provided a entertaining climax to the match.

 

Morton was caught in the deep off Malik in the 42nd over, and Razzaq returned for a second spell to have Dwayne Smith lbw for a duck in the 43rd over.

 

Once Gayle remained however, West Indies still had a chance, but he gave it away, when he scooped a delivery from Shabbir to extra cover and was out-caught for 124.

 

He hit 13 fours from 137 balls, and with his departure, West Indies' chances went down the chute.

 

Earlier, Pakistan benefitted from an opening stand of 87 between Afridi and Yasir Hameed, who replaced Salman Butt as another of the three changes to the Pakistan line-up.

 

Afridi was caught at deep mid wicket off Collymore, but with him out of the way, West Indies were able to apply the brakes, and slow Pakistan's scoring down.

 

This led to removal of Hameed in the 17th over, when he was caught behind for 41 off 54 balls edging a drive at a delivery angled across him from left-arm medium-fast bowler Pedro Collins.

 

Yousuf Youhana came to the wicket to find Bazid, playing in only his third ODI, and they added 96 for the third wicket without too much pyrotechnics. Both were prepared to punctuate periods of sound defence with the occasional flourishing stroke.

 

Youhana was caught inside the long-off boundary off Hinds in the 37th over to leave Pakistan 203 for three, but West Indies were again able to keep the visitors' batsmen in check.

 

They also managed to remove Bazid, who Collymore bowled in the 45th over to leave Pakistan 251 for four, but the visitors had enough left in the tank.

 

They lost Razzaq, caught behind off Bradshaw for 18 in the 48th over, and acting captain Younis Khan, caught inside the long-off boundary off the same bowler in the last over, but Kamran Akmal hit three sixes off the last three balls of the innings to take the Pakistanis over the hump.

 

The two teams will now play two Tests at Bridgetown, starting on Thursday, and at Kingston, beginning on June 3.

(Article: Copyright © 2005 AFP)