Misbah-ul-Haq stroked an unbeaten sixty two to pilot Pakistan to a nervy three-wicket win over West Indies within the third cricket one-day international at Kensington Oval on Thursday.
The victory gave the guests a triumphant 3-0 lead within the five-match series.
Misbah’s innings, spiced with four fours and 2 sixes off 109 balls, revived a stuttering chase and guided Pakistan past the host’s modest 171 all out at 177-7 with twenty nine balls to spare.
Misbah’s partnerships with Umar Akmal (30) and Hammad Azam (36) rescued Pakistan when it slumped to 12-3 and then 49-4.
Fast bowler Ravi Rampaul ripped through the Pakistan prime order with 4-32 whereas legspinner Devendra Bishoo later claimed 3-42 to stay West Indies within the hunt.
But Misbah and Wahab Riaz, who scored seventeen not out, steered a wobbly Pakistan home with an unbroken eighth-wicket stand of twenty nine.
Earlier, when a rain-delayed begin reduced the competition to forty five overs per aspect, West Indies had an encouraging begin through a second-wicket stand of eighty six between Lendl Simmons and Darren Bravo.
Simmons struck four fours and 2 sixes in fifty one off sixty four balls whereas left-hander Darren Bravo hit 3 fours and a six in forty seven off seventy seven deliveries.
But once they were dismissed, the last seven West Indian wickets tumbled for forty runs.
Offspinner Saeed Ajmal ended with 3-29 whereas left-arm seamer Wahab Riaz blew through the center order with 3-38.
Mohammad Hafeez, who took 2-31, created the first breakthrough with the wicket of Devon Smith for the third time within the series.
But Simmons and Bravo fought back brilliantly in an exceedingly fluent partnership that lit up an overcast Kensington Oval.
Simmons eventually chipped a come back catch to Ajmal at 92-2.
Hafeez came back to form another crucial breakthrough when Bravo was leg before wicket at 118-3.
The other batsmen didn’t hearth with Marlon Samuels and Kirk Edwards struggling to urge the ball away despite every scoring eighteen.
Pakistan’s chase was derailed by Rampaul’s aggression as he struck together with his 1st 2 deliveries to get rid of Ahmed Shehzad and Asad Shafiq.
Shehzad, a century-maker within the last match, top-edged a hook whereas Shafiq edged low to second slip.
Rampaul created it 12-3 when Hafeez additionally miscued a pull and West Indies was rampant.
Umar Akmal dominated a fourth-wicket stand of thirty seven with Misbah before Rampaul made a fiery bouncer that clipped Akmal’s glove on the means through to the wicketkeeper at 49-4.
But Misbah found another in a position ally in Hammad Azam and also the try added seventy eight off 119 balls to push their aspect to the brink.
Bishoo claimed 3 wickets to even the balance as Azam, captain Shahid Afridi and Mohammad Salman departed in fast succession.
But Misbah stood firm with Wahab to make sure the series victory.
The fourth match within the series is at an equivalent venue on Monday.
Tags: ul haq, nine balls, devon smith, cricket one day international, mohammad hafeez
