Pakistan beat West Indies in third T20I: Records broken
Pakistan chased down a target of 208 to beat West Indies in the third and final T20I on Thursday in Karachi. With this win, Pakistan have sealed the T20I series by a 3-0 margin. Batting first, WI rode on their top-order to post 207/3 in 20 overs. The COVID-19 hit WI outfit failed to restrict the hosts who chased down the target.
Why does this story matter?
Pakistan have been performing well in T20Is of late and this was another top-notch performance on a solid batting surface. Pakistan openers were terrific and took the game away from WI. Their comfort level in T20Is made the difference in the end.
How did the match pan out?
WI dominated the powerplay overs, adding 66 runs and losing one wicket. Brandon King hit a 21-ball 43 in the PP overs before perishing of the final delivery in the sixth over. Shamarh Brooks (49) played a solid hand before Nicholas Pooran and Darren Bravo helped WI post 207. In response, the Pakistani openers laid the foundation for the chase.
Pooran dazzles for West Indies
Playing his 49th match, Pooran went on to slam a 37-ball 64. The southpaw smashed six sixes and two fours. He had a strike rate of 172.97. Pooran has raced to 845 runs at 23.47. He is now the eighth WI batter to surpass 800 runs in T20Is. This was Pooran's fourth fifty in T20Is. He also registered his best score.
Rizwan shines with another superb knock
Pakistan opener Mohammad Rizwan was superb upfront, smashing a fine fifty. He has now gone past the 1,600-run mark in T20Is, besides slamming his 13th T20I fifty. Rizwan is now the fifth Pakistan batter to amass 1,600-plus runs in T20Is. This was Rizwan's 12th T20I fifty this year as he surpassed the 1,300-run mark. He now has the most sixes in 2021.
Babar achieves these feats
Pakistan skipper Babar Azam scored 79 from 53 deliveries. The stylish cricketer is now the fourth-highest run-scorer in T20Is (2,620). He surpassed Ireland's Paul Stirling (2,570) and Australia's Aaron Finch (2,608). Babar slammed his 25th T20I fifty. The in-form Babar has also become the second batter in 2021 to get past 900 runs in T20Is (939). He slammed his eighth fifty this year.
Babar and Rizwan excel at the top
Babar and Rizwan stitched a century-plus stand (158). This was their sixth century-plus stand in T20Is. The duo has surpassed the 1,400-run mark in terms of partnership runs, becoming the fifth pair overall to do so. The two have now stitched the highest partnership for any wicket for Pakistan versus West Indies in T20Is. For the fourth time, the two added 150-plus partnership runs.
Babar surpasses 500 runs against WI
Babar has now gone past the 500-run mark against WI in T20Is (540), becoming the first Pakistan batter to achieve this milestone. He has five fifties against WI in T20Is. He also went past 50 fours against WI in T20Is (56).
