After six games across two formats, West Indies were left searching for their first win on the tour as Pakistan yet again outclassed the hapless visitors by building a strong total and chocking the middle-order with spin, winning by 136 runs in the 3rd One Day International at Abu Dhabi on Wednesday and completing a 3-0 whitewash in the series.
Azhar Ali (101 from 109) played a captain's hand while Babar Azam's (117 from 106) stock further increased after he slammed his third hundred in as many games to help Pakistan bring up 308/6 after electing to bat first. West Indies put up another below-bar batting display to be shot out for 172.
The West Indies bowlers continued to struggle against Azam, who joined an elite list of batsmen to score three back-to-back ODI hundreds. Only seven of them have got to the landmark before him. Ali brought up a record of his own, becoming the first Pakistani skipper to score three ODI hundreds. A breezy 85-run first wicket stand between Ali and Sharjeel Khan set a solid platform for Pakistan, going after the new ball and picking up boundaries. Azam easily slotted in after the fall of Sharjeel Khan's wicket and amassed a 147-run stand for the second wicket.
West Indies bowlers fought back in the last 10 overs when Pakistan looked set to bring up a score in excess of 330 – the Windies conceded only 69 during that phase. All of Pakistan's bowlers came to the party and chipped in wickets. Spin, yet again proved to be West Indies' chief nemesis. The win also helped Pakistan climb up to 8th place in the ODI rankings, toppling West Indies by a point.
Brief Scores:
Pakistan 308/6 in 50 overs (Babar Azam 117, Azhar Ali 101; Alzarri Joseph 2/62) beat West Indies 172 in 44 overs (Denesh Ramdin 37, Kraigg Brathwaite 32; Mohammad Nawaz 3/40, Wahab Riaz 2/28) by 136 runs
