West Indies Level ODI Series Vs Pakistan

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Caption: Jediah Blades celebrates a wicket with Jayden Seales and Gudakesh Motie

TAROUBA – Led by standout performances from Jayden Seales, Roston Chase and Sherfane Rutherford, the West Indies claimed a crucial five-wicket win via the Duckworth/Lewis/Stern method over Pakistan in the second One Day International to level the three-match series 1-1 here on Sunday.

Seales grabbed three wickets to lead an impressive bowling display at the Brian Lara Cricket Stadium, and when the final set of showers eventually brought an end to Pakistan’s innings after just 37 overs, they had laboured to 171 for seven.

The visitors gave themselves an outside chance of victory by snaring three early wickets, but Player-of-the-Match Chase, finished one run short of a second successive half century and Rutherford scored a brisk 45 and the Windies, set a revised target of 181 in 35 overs, reached 184 for five with 10 balls to spare.

Importantly, the win also catapulted the West Indies past Bangladesh into ninth position in the ICC ODI rankings, the final automatic qualification spot for the 2027 Cricket World Cup.

Pakistan was given a decent if not whirlwind start by openers by Abdullah Shafique and Saim Ayub, who put on 37 runs for the first wicket.

But Seales struck twice in his fifth over; first having Ayub caught at first slip by Justin Greaves for 23 and then bowling the dangerous Babar Azam for a three-ball duck, to put West Indies in control.

When the first rain interruption came, Pakistan had limped to 60 for two in 16 overs.

Almost immediately after the hour-long break, Jediah Blades had Shafique caught at fine leg for 26 and when left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie trapped captain Mohammad Rizwan lbw for 16, Pakistan had slumped to 88 for four in the 22nd over.

Hussain Talat tried his best to revive the innings in his knock of 31 off 32 balls, but when he was well caught low down by wicketkeeper Shai Hope off the bowling of Chase and Salma Agha went after gloving a catch to the keeper of Shamar Joseph without a run added, Pakistan was in serious trouble at 114 for six.

Hasan Nawaz hit an unbeaten 36 off 30 balls with three huge sixes and together with Shaheen Afridi, who finished on 11 not out, helped the visitors boost their total until the rains came again to bring an abrupt halt to their innings.

Seales was West Indies’ best bowler with 3-23 from his seven overs.

Needing to score at just over five runs an over, the West Indies found themselves in a spot of bother after fast bowler Hasan Ali had both Brandon King and Evin Lewis caught behind with just 12 runs on the board.

Keacy Carty endured a nightmare stand at the crease, needing 42 balls for his 16 runs before spinner Abrar Ahmed bowled him to put him out of his misery and leave the Windies 48 for three in the 13th over.

But skipper Hope and Rutherford came together in a 54-run partnership for the fourth wicket that put the home side back in the ascendancy.

West Indies players are happy as a Pakistani wicket falls

Rutherford was savage from the start, clobbering Afridi for a six and two fours off consecutive deliveries in the 17th over.

Spinner Salma Agha was treated even worse in the ensuing over that went for 20 runs, with Rutherford blasting him for two sixes and two fours to move into the 40s and carry the West Indies past the 100 mark.

Pakistan fought back, dismissing both within five runs, with Mohammad Nawaz having Hope stumped for 32 off 35 balls, while Rutherford holed out to midwicket off the same bowler to be out for 45 off 33 balls, laced with four fours and three sixes, as the home side slipped to 107 for five.

However, Chase, who scored 53 in the opening ODI, found a solid partner in Justin Greaves, and the pair shared an unbroken stand of 77 off 72 balls to carry their side to victory.