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Pakistan clinch series against Windies

Pakistan won the last match of the best-of-three finals against the West Indies to clinch the 2000 Trophy series at Port of Spain on Sunday.

Their bowlers, led by Mushtaq Ahmed, set it up and their batsmen, anchored by Inzamam-ul Haq, who was later named man of the series, sealed the victory by four wickets.

Mushtaq bagged four wickets for 22 runs from eight overs as the West Indies collapsed that from 61 without loss to 114 all out in 33.2 overs, the lowest limited-overs international total at Queen's Park Oval. The effort won him the man of the match award.

When fast bowler Reon King captured three of his career-best four wickets for 25 runs from ten overs to leave Pakistan 19 for three in the tenth over, West Indies had visions of another batting collapse from their opponents that would hand them the title.

Inzamam-ul-Haq, Pakistans most prolific batsman in the series with 295 runs, batted through the pain of a foot injury to anchor the side with an unbeaten 39 off 98 balls and had the pleasure of hitting the winnings runs, a cut for four through backward point.

Earlier, choosing to bat, West Indies benefitted from their best opening stand of the series from Philo Wallace and Sherwin Campbell. They took 17.1 overs to gather 61, but things fell apart for West Indies after they were separated. The breakthrough came for Pakistan when Campbell flicked the first ball of Abdur Razzaq's fifth over to Inzamam at mid-wicket. His 26 off 45 balls carried his aggregate in the series to 315, the most by any batsman, at an average of Wallace, whose 30 off 64 balls was the top score and one of three double-figure scores in the innings, became the first of Mushtaq's wickets when he overbalanced out of the crease playing a drive and was stumped by wicketkeeper Moin Khan, the Pakistan captain.

The real drama in the West Indies however, unfolded in Mushtaq's fifth over, the 23rd of the innings. He removed Wavel Hinds, Chris Gayle and Ricardo Powell in the space of five balls in it and West Indies never recovered.

West Indies's total was one run less than New Zealand's 116 against them 15 years ago and five less than their own 121 against India three years ago.

The match marked the return to the Pakistan side of fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar, who took two for 31 off seven overs, and Saqlain Mushtaq, two for 20 off 5.2 overs, both of whom were recovering from ailments of a varying nature.

Since the West Indies innings finished pretty early, it left Pakistan with just over half-hour to the lunch interval. It was all the time King needed to remove opening batsmen Imran Nazir and Shahid Afridi in the space of nine balls to leave Pakistan 18 for two at lunch.

With the second ball after the interval, Abdur Razzaq gave wicketkeeper Ridley Jacobs the second of his three catches off King, but Inzamam and Younis Khan defied West Indies for 15 overs to add a critical 42 for the fourth wicket.

Though Younis and Yousuf Youhana were dismissed off Jimmy Adams in the space of six overs, and Moin was the last of King's wickets, the result was never in doubt.

Agencies