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Pakistan's Saim Ayub, Farhan Pair Up To Script Fate For West Indies In T20I Series Decider

Soumyajit Dutta

Sahibzada Farhan and Saim Ayub set the tone for the win [Source: AFP Photos]Sahibzada Farhan and Saim Ayub set the tone for the win [Source: AFP Photos]

A sensational 3rd T20I was set up in Lauderhill after the first two T20Is had the West Indies and Pakistan teams level at 1-1. With everything on the line, the Men in Green muscled out with the bat while the Windies were too reserved to hit aggressively while chasing. 

The 2nd T20I vs Pakistan was a moral win for the Caribbeans, however, the hosts failed to defend the series in the final clash as the visitors took it 2-1.

Farhan-Ayub Conquer Windies Attack To Build Pakistan's Innings

Pakistan came in to bat first after winning the toss. PSL sensation Sahibzada Farhan lived true to his name with a 74 off 53, building the foundation of the innings. Saim Ayub (66 off 49) paired with him for a 158-run stand, and West Indies bowlers were crippled for most of the Men in Green's innings until the 17th over. 

Shamar Joseph, the most economically expensive bowler for the Windies, bagged Farhan in the 17th over, which saw Hasan Nawaz also fall for just 15 in the 18th over to Roston Chase. With Saim Ayub chalking out the scorecard with his bat till the 19th over, Khushdil Shah and Faheem Ashraf dragged Pakistan's total to a respectable 189 by the end of 20 overs. 

Windies Bating Woes On Repeat

During their chase, the West Indies started much like the rest of the series. An early tumble and a bit of resilience in the middle. Jewel Andrew, the opener for the Windies, started promisingly but lost his rhythm to Haris Rauf's delivery in the fifth over. Shai Hope came in next but had to go back for a mere 7 runs, leaving the hosts at 74/2 by the end of 8.2 overs.

Alick Athanaze stayed long on the crease but was too slow to make an impact on the daunting chase. He scored 60 off 40 before falling to Pakistan's new part-time spin bowling star Saim Ayub in the 13th over.

Pakistan Bowlers Hold Their Nerve To Defend Total

However, the thriller came into play when 60 runs were needed off 30 balls. Sherfane Rutherford (51) and Roston Chase were at the crease, and a couple of boundaries and sixes were hit by the duo, yet Chase (15) retired out in the 17th over to make way for Jason Holder, who was baffled by Sufiyan Muqeem to go out for a duck.

The last over saw 25 runs needed, and Hasan Ali finished up the job with Rutherford's wicket to guide the team to a 13-run victory as Pakistan won the T20I series 2-1.