Outstanding 10 wickets win for WEST INDIES Vs. Pakistan.

West Indies 140 for 0
(Simmons 77*, Edwards
40*) beat Pakistan 139
(Hafeez 55, Rampaul
4-45) by ten wickets
Dead-rubber syndrome
struck with a
vengeance in the fifth
and final ODI at
Providence, as Pakistan
succumbed to a
crushing ten-wicket
victory at the hands of
Lendl Simmons and Kirk
Edwards, who built on a
disciplined bowling
effort on a slow and low
surface to chase down
a moderate target of
140 with more than 26
overs remaining.
Simmons was once
again the star of the
batting display, as he
followed up his vital
half-century in
Barbados with an
unbeaten 77 from 73
balls, while Edwards
played the supporting
role to perfection with
40 not out from 71.
The manner of West
Indies' victory was
every bit as emphatic
as the margin, as they
romped past a
distracted Pakistan
team to record their
second crushing victory
against Test opposition
in the space of two
months, having routed
Bangladesh with more
than 37 overs to spare
during the recent World
Cup. Soon after that
performance, however,
West Indies themselves
were crushed by 10
wickets by Pakistan in
their Dhaka quarter-
final, and so, having
already lost the series
with two games to
spare, there was only a
limited amount of
succour to be had. Still,
a win is a win, and for a
young and remodelled
outfit, it could prove
vital for forging
confidence in the weeks
and months to come.
For Pakistan, only
Mohammad Hafeez
produced a
performance of any
note. He continued his
impressive run of form
with an 83-ball 55, but
the rest of the line-up
succumbed meekly to a
combination of seam
and wrist-spin, as they
were bundled out for
139 in 41.2 overs. Ravi
Rampaul once again
returned the
outstanding analysis of
4 for 45, but it was the
medium-pace of Darren
Sammy, with 3 for 30 in
ten overs, that carved
open the top-order and
laid the foundations for
the win.
Hafeez, who made an
excellent 121 from 138
balls in Pakistan's one-
run D/L defeat in
Barbados earlier in the
week, took advantage
of the chance to bat
first by easing along to
his 12th ODI half-
century, and his fourth
in the last six weeks.
Having launched the
innings with a first-ball
pull for four off
Rampaul, Hafeez added
five more boundaries in
reaching his half-
century from 66 balls,
but his was a lone hand
as his colleagues came
and went.
First to fall was
Taufeeq Umar, back in
the side after sitting
out the fourth ODI. He
made a laboured 3 from
12 balls before snicking
a length ball from
Rampaul through to
Carlton Baugh behind
the stumps.
Ahmed Shehzad proved
to be even less fluent,
as he ground along to 9
from 33 balls, including
a solitary glanced
boundary off the
legspinner Anthony
Martin, who took the
new ball in his second
ODI appearance.
Sammy, however,
double-bluffed him by
calling the keeper up to
the stumps and
immediately sending
down a bouncer.
Shehzad took a wild
swing, but under-edged
the shot onto his
stumps.
At 48 for 2 it was
already proving to be a
one-man show, and
Pakistan's scorecard
got even more lop-sided
when Usman Salahuddin
was nailed lbw on the
sweep by Bishoo for 8,
albeit to a shocker of a
decision as the ball
pitched way outside leg.
One over later, Misbah-
ul-Haq failed for the
second match in
succession, as Sammy
tailed a wicked
inswinger into his back
pad, and this time there
was little doubt about
the lbw.
Umar Akmal, restored
to the team after a
break in Barbados,
reinvigorated the
scoring with a towering
swipe for six over long-
off, but when Hafeez
under-edged a cut onto
his own stumps to hand
Sammy his third wicket,
the innings was in
freefall at 93 for 5.
Umar added one more
boundary in a 27-ball 24
before falling in a
similar fashion,
dragging on to Rampaul
as he attempted a glide
to third man.
Shahid Afridi has found
some tame ways to get
out in recent times, but
he could do nothing
about a brutal lifter
that climbed from
nowhere and flew
through to Baugh, and
three balls later
Rampaul had his fourth
as Wahab Riaz prodded
loosely to slip. The
wicketkeeper
Mohammad Salman
provided some
resistance with an
unbeaten 19 from 30
balls, including a fine
cover drive as Rampaul
over-pitched, but a
brace of Dwayne Bravo
lbws wrapped up the
innings with more than
eight overs to spare.
West Indies' run-chase
was over in a flash.
They eased along to 34
for 0 in six overs
before the mid-match
interval, and though
each man survived a
tough chance behind
the wicket - Edwards on
6 and Simmons on 31 -
the only real
opportunity came when
Edwards was sent back
for a sharp single, only
for an alert Mohammad
Salman to whip off the
bails having noticed
that his bat was over
the crease but still in
the air. The third umpire
decided that there was
too much doubt to give
the decision, and that
was effectively that.