PAKISTAN VS WEST INDIES, 3RD ODI

Record-breaking Azam sets up Pakistan's series sweep

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Babar Azam became the second-youngest ever, and eighth overall, to notch up three successive ODI centuries
Babar Azam became the second-youngest ever, and eighth overall, to notch up three successive ODI centuries © Cricbuzz

Pakistan's innings, on the other hand, couldn't have been more different. Babar Azam and Azhar Ali will not forget the centuries they raised at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium for a long time. Azam, the 21-year-old batting prodigy, has etched his name in the same bracket as two of Pakistan's all-time greats. Carrying forward his golden run of form, he became only the third Pakistan batsman, after Zaheer Abbas and Saeed Anwar, to register three centuries in consecutive innings.

And among few other consistent things in the Pakistan unit was the indifferent form of their skipper Azhar. The captain, however, shrugged off the disappointment with a smashing century under pressure to silence his critics.

Fortunately for the hosts though, on a run-laden surface, Azhar won the toss and opted to bat without any hesitation. The skipper, along with Sharjeel Khan, kicked off the innings with a flurry of boundaries. The team's first fifty was up in just six overs and the powerplay had fetched them 66 overall without any loss. Sharjeel, however, didn't capitalise on the start he got and gifted his wicket away to Sulieman Benn. Trying to slog one over the fence, the left-hander failed to get the necessary elevation and offered Alzarri Joseph a regulation catch at long-on.

A wicket in the bag and with spinners operating from both ends, West Indies managed to curb the flow of runs. Pakistan's hundred came only with the first ball of the 20th over, bowled by Sunil Narine. Off the next ball, the in-form Azam slammed the first six of Pakistan's innings, lofting the spinner over the long-off fence. At the other end, Azhar, in his 40s, took his time and notched up his 10th ODI fifty.

Oozing with confidence and at a strike-rate consistently above 100, Azam raced to his 6th half-century - his third consecutive 50-plus score of the series - off the first ball of the 30th over. By the end of the over, cruising at 180 for 1 with two well-set batsmen in the middle, the hosts looked set for a total in the vicinity of 350.

Azhar redeemed himself with a record third ODI century since taking over the captaincy, and followed it up with a wild punch in the air. The celebrations were short-lived though. In his attempt to pep up the scoring rate, Azhar failed to pick up a slower one from his West Indies' counterpart Jason Holder that went on to disturb the bails. Nonetheless, a very content skipper walked off to a loud applause from the sparse crowd and his teammates.

Unlike his previous appearance, Malik came and left in a jiffy, but that had no impact on Azam at the other end. In his 90s though, a visibly eager Azam pushed his partner, Sarfraz Khan, for a second run on two different occasions. The landmark hundred came in the 44th over, off Narine, which made Azam the second-youngest after Quinton de Kock to notch up three consecutive tons, and eighth overall in the history of 50-over game. Standing ovations had become a regular feature of his innings now.

By the time he was dismissed, on 117, Azam had, incidentally, also surpassed the South African's tally for most runs (342) in a three-match ODI series. The record-man's wicket was a milestone of sorts for Kieron Pollard too, who registered his 50th wicket in his 101st game.

Rizwan and Wasim fell in quick succession but what West Indies had managed to do in death overs was to restrict the high-flying hosts to what seemed like a manageable total of 308.

Still without a win victory after half a dozen matches on this UAE trip, going forward, the challenge is only going to get tougher for a young and inexperienced West Indies Test side.

Brief scores: Pakistan 308/6 in 50 overs (Babar Azam 117, Azhar Ali 101; Alzarri Joseph 2-62) beat West Indies 172 all out in 44 overs (Denesh Ramdin 37, Kraigg Brathwaite 32; Mohammad Nawaz 3-40) by 136 runs.

Prior to the start of West Indies' tour of UAE, none would have expected lop-sided results that we've seen over the last fortnight. Not in the shortest format for a start. Crowned 2016 ICC World Twenty20 champions just six months ago in the subcontinent, it was more of an upset when West Indies were whitewashed in the preceding T20I series by a less-fancied, unpredictable Pakistan side.

One would have expected them to step up in the One-Day Internationals, having acclimatized to the conditions by then, but the change of format didn't bring any luck either. And it is for the same reason that a 6-0 scoreline in favour of Pakistan, at the end of the limited-overs part of this bilateral series, seems baffling.

To give credit where its due, Pakistan have shown phenomenal consistency over the course of these six games to clinch both the T20I and ODI series. It is West Indies' plight that makes you wonder what has gone so drastically wrong with the team that boasts of some of the best limited-overs specialists in their ranks.

You can put the blame on administrative issues that West Indies cricket has been battling for a while now, or the sacking of their coach just before embarking on an overseas tour, or even on the unexplained absence of some of country's finest players in the squad. But for the eleven who took the field to represent their country, to go down without a fight is unacceptable.

On Wednesday (October 5), when the West Indies bowlers pulled back things in the death overs to restrict Pakistan to 308 for 6 in the third and final ODI at Abu Dhabi, it seemed like the visitors would at last salvage some pride, provided their batsmen deliver. Little did anyone know that another embarrassing collapse - a defeat by the highest margin on this tour thus far - was on the cards.

The highest a West Indies' batsman made, in a chase of 309, was wicketkeeper-batsman Denesh Ramdin's 37, followed by 32 from Kraigg Brathwaite's bat. They started positively. In fact, the opening partnership of 45 in this game was their best on this tour thus far. But it all fell apart once the stand was broken.

Evin Lewis, given another opportunity by the management, failed to grab his chance. Batting on 17, the opener, who replaced Johnson Charles in the playing XI, survived an LBW appeal in the eighth over, when the third umpire overturned the decision on finding the Sohail Khan delivery to be pitching marginally outside leg. The hosts called for a review off the very next delivery, for a very similar appeal turned down, but Sohail was left disappointed yet again.

The pacer, making his way back into the team in place of Mohammad Amir who flew back home to attend his ailing mother, finally got his man in the 10th over. And from there on, it was a wicket fest.

Brathwaite, along with Darren Bravo, offered some resistance but Shoaib Malik trapped him bang in front of middle in the 18th over. The batsman contested the on-field umpire's call, only to be given marching orders by S Ravi, thereby wasting his team's last pending review.

Wahab Riaz put an end to Bravo's struggle in the middle, three overs later, and Marlon Samuels followed him back to the hut soon after, after a terrible mix-up with Ramdin. Reduced to 93 for 4 in a flash, with an asking rate that was mounting consistently, the visitors needed more than a miracle to save them. And their best bet - the 101-match veteran Kieron Pollard - became Mohammad Nawaz's first victim after an uncharacteristic 20-ball 11.

Jason Holder and Ramdin kept them in the hunt with a brief partnership of 42 but once Imad Wasim joined the party, removing the West Indies skipper for a fluent 25-ball 26, the writing was on the wall. The last four wickets fell for the addition of another 13 runs as the visitors collapsed to 172 all out. And with the 136-run defeat, West Indies conceded yet another series by a 3-0 margin.

Pakistan make it 6 in a row.
Pakistan make it 6 in a row. ©Reuters
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