Pakistan thrash Windies to pocket Twenty20 series

PORT-OF-SPAIN: Pakistan bounced back from a defeat in the third Twenty20 International to complete a seven-wicket win over the West Indies in the fourth game to take the series 3-1.

The series win over the World champions on Sunday lifted Pakistan from No. 6 in the International Cricket Council (ICC) T20I team rankings to No. 4, and sent the Caribbean side down to the sixth position.

New Zealand tops the charts with 127 ratings points, followed by India (124) and South Africa (117), while England is between Pakistan and the West Indies at No.5. Pakistan medium pacer Hasan Ali bowled a tight spell and got good support from the rest of the attack to restrict the West Indies to 124/8, after the visitors won the toss and elected to field at the Queen’s Park Oval.

In reply, opener Ahmed Shehzad found form with a fifty as the visiting side wrapped up the chase with an over to spare, according to an ICC report.

Shehzad’s 45-ball 53 included six fours and one six. He put on 70 for the second wicket with Babar Azam (38), and only fell to the pace of Kesrick Williams with victory in sight. Shoaib Malik and Sarfraz Ahmed, the skipper, completed the formalities, reaching 127/3 with little fuss.

West Indies 124/8 (Chadwick Walton 40, Carlos Brathwaite 37*; Hasan Ali 2/12, Shadab 2/16) lost to Pakistan 127/3 (Ahmed Shehzad 53, Babar Azam 38; Kesrick Williams 2/16) by 7 wickets.