Pakistan defeated the West Indies by seven runs in the second T20 International to go one-up in the four-match series at the Providence Stadium in Guyana on Saturday.
Chasing 158 runs for victory, the West Indies were restricted to 150 for 4 by the Pakistani bowling attack.
The hosts were off to a tragic start as opener Andre Fletcher was clean bowled by veteran all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez on the second ball of the innings for a duck.
Pacer Hasan Ali varied his pace perfectly and reaped the rewards for his bowling as he captured the wicket of veteran Chris Gayle after he had scored 16 runs off 20 balls.
Pacer Mohammad Wasim rattled the stumps of Shimron Hetmyer after he had scored 17 runs off 18 balls.
Opener Evin Lewis was solid at the crease but was unfortunate as he had to return to the pavilion with an injury after scoring 35 runs off 33 balls.
Skipper Kieron Pollard was removed by pacer Shaheen Afridi in the final over of the chase after scoring 13 runs off 14 balls.
Wicketkeeper-batsman Nicholas Pooran brought life to the match with his hitting towards the end and remained unbeaten after scoring 62 runs off 33 balls as West Indies ended on 150 runs for the loss of four wickets, just seven runs shy of the target.
Mohammad Hafeez was the standout bowler for Pakistan, picking up one wicket while giving away just six runs in four overs.
Earlier, after being put in to bat, Pakistan were off to a breezy start as openers Sharjeel Khan and Mohammad Rizwan put together 46 runs.
All-rounder Jason Holder struck the first blow as he removed Sharjeel (20 off 16), caught by Akeal Hosein.
Skipper Babar Azam joined Rizwan for a 67-run partnership off 58 balls to lay a solid foundation for a big total.
Rizwan, during his knock, raced to 749 T20I runs at an average of 107 runs which is the most by any player in the calendar year surpassing Ireland’s Paul Stirling who had scored 748 runs in 2019.
The wicketkeeper-batsman, however, was run-out after scoring 46 runs off 36 balls.
Rain interrupted play at a critical time as Babar got to his fifty and the Men in Green were looking to up the ante.
The delay, despite its short nature, proved to be a blessing for West Indies as Pakistan batting collapsed.
Babar was the first to depart, caught behind by wicketkeeper Nicolas Pooran off the bowling of Jason Holder, after scoring 51 runs off 40 balls.
Hafeez’s poor form continued as he fell to all-rounder Dwayne Bravo after scoring just six runs off six balls.
Fakhar Zaman also fell to Bravo after scoring 15 runs off 11 balls.
Jason Holder then removed Hasan Ali and Sohaib Maqsood (five off four) as Pakistan fell deeper into trouble.
All-rounder Shadab Khan (five off four) was run out on the last ball as Pakistan managed 157 runs for the loss of eight wickets in their allotted overs.
Jason Holder was the most successful bowler for his side, picking up four wickets at the expense of 26 runs.
