Daily Times

No doubt, it was a high-octane and thrilling contest. Pakistan took the wind out of West Indies sails when skipper Sarfraz Ahmad and his charges outplayed the hosts by three runs in the second Twenty20 International of the four-match series at Port of Spain on Thursday. Hopes were not high keeping in view the batting performance of the national squad in away series and their meager total of 132. But Sarfraz and his men turned the tables on their opponents and gave marvellous performance in a gripping encounter, fought in an excellent spirit and holding the attention of the fans throughout. Once again the man of the hour was Shadab Khan. It’s difficult to not get incredibly excited about this young man. Two matches, two match-defining performances and two man-of-the-match awards: Shadab is Pakistan’s newest darling. The 18-year old’s statistics after only two matches for Pakistan read seven wickets at an average of 3, a strike-rate of 6.8 and an economy rate of 2.6. And the opposition he dismantled are not at all happy.

Pakistan’s top order once again failed. Pakistan’s batting is at the same, maddeningly inconsistent level it’s been at for a number of years now. No batsman could build on a start, and at one point it looked like the visitors might even fail to reach three figures as they slid to 95 for 8. Late blows from Shadab and Wahab Riaz then ensured they would have just enough to bowl at. Apart from Marlon Samuels’ catch to dismiss skipper Sarfraz, West Indies’ fielding was laughable and wretched, with several balls going through fielders’ legs. Several fumbles led to boundaries and Jason Holder was particularly guilty of letting a Wahab catch slip between his hands and go for a six. Had even one of those gaffes been prevented, West Indies may well have won it. The most damning thing may well be that Kamran Akmal fielded better than almost every West Indian fielder. With their sloppy fielding and gifting Pakistan at least 15 runs, West Indies were their own worst enemy at times.

With an aim to level the series following a six-wicket defeat in the opening match in Barbados, West Indies’ chase of achievable 133 began with a somewhat clumsy run-out after a collision between Evin Lewis and Shadab, but Samuels looked in no mood to hang around as he took the attack to Pakistan’s bowlers. Imad Wasim came in for particularly severe treatment as one over went for 19. Only a magical spell from legspinner Shadab dragged Pakistan back into the game, crucially dismissing Samuels with the last ball. With his legspin masterclass, the teenager at times the only person standing between West Indies and victory. No batsman could pick his variations, with a pair falling to the legbreak, and two more dismissed after failing to read the googly. From thereon, it was always going to be close, and even though two boundaries in the final over looked to have put the West Indies on course, Hasan Ali held his nerve to maintain Pakistan’s grip over their hosts.

As a result, West Indies are stuck with a lot of questions and no ready answers. They have gone 0-2 down in the series and have to win the third match to stay alive. Since they were crowned World T20 champions in March 2016 – and then beat India in a high-scoring match in Florida – they have lost five matches in a row. All to Pakistan.

The biggest story behind Pakistan’s success was how well they read the conditions and how well they selected their playing eleven. Their performance in the field was equally selfless. In the end, the modest challenge thrown by Pakistan proved insurmountable for West Indies. No doubt, the win has given Pakistan the psychological edge going into their third tie at Port of Spain on Saturday (today).