Shai Hope delivered a captain’s knock and Jayden Seales produced a devastating bowling deliveries as West Indies trampled Pakistan by 202 runs in the third and final ODI at the Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba, levelling the series 2-1.
The victory marked the Caribbean side’s first bilateral ODI series triumph over Pakistan since 1991 and finished a string of home series defeats in both Test and T20 formats to Australia and Pakistan.
Hope, who has been a beacon of consistency in West Indies’ batting lineup, anchored the innings with an unbeaten 120 off just 94 balls. His innings featured 10 boundaries and five sixes, and he combined with Justin Greaves for an explosive unbroken seventh-wicket stand worth 110 runs in a little over eight overs. Greaves contributed a rapid 43 not out from only 24 deliveries, striking four fours and two sixes.
Speaking after the game, the West Indies skipper said he was “extremely proud” of his team, adding that there had been too much focus on negatives in the recent past but now there were “positives to shout about” for West Indies cricket.
This morale-boosting result followed a challenging period for the team, which had just come out of an emergency two-day summit aimed at reviving West Indies cricket. The meeting, attended by Hope along with legends Brian Lara and Clive Lloyd, came on the heels of a record-low batting collapse in the third Test against Australia, where the team was bowled out for 27 in their second innings—just one run short of the all-time lowest Test total.
West Indies had stumbled at the start of the ODI series, losing the opener to Pakistan by five wickets. However, they bounced back with a five-wicket win in the second game, setting the stage for a decisive finale.
In Tuesday’s match, the hosts posted 294-6 after being put in to bat. While Hope and Greaves provided the late fireworks, the earlier contributions set the platform for the imposing total. Pakistan’s chase quickly unraveled as Seales tore through the top order. The visitors found themselves reeling at 8-3 inside the first three overs, with opener Saim Ayub dismissed on the third ball of the innings, Abdullah Shafique following for a duck, and captain Mohammad Rizwan falling to Seales for a golden duck.
Babar Azam tried to stabilize the innings but was trapped lbw by Seales for nine, leaving Pakistan at 23-4 in the ninth over. Seales finished with remarkable figures of 6-18 from 7.2 overs, his spell effectively sealing the contest.
The rest of Pakistan’s batting offered little resistance. Hasan Nawaz was stumped for 13 off Gudakesh Motie, while Roston Chase bowled Hussain Talat for one. Salman Agha’s 30 from 49 deliveries was the top score for the visitors. The innings ended at 92 all out in 29.2 overs, fittingly with another golden duck as Abrar Ahmed was run out by Chase.
For West Indies, the emphatic win was more than just a series-clincher—it was a symbolic step toward restoring pride and belief in Caribbean cricket ahead of future challenges.
