ANOTHER below-par batting display from West Indies

ANOTHER below-par batting display from West Indies enabled Pakistan to open up an unassailable 2-0 lead in their three-match Twenty20 international series with a 16-run victory in Dubai.The World T20 champions were skittled for just 115 in Friday’s opening T20, Imad Wasim’s five-wicket haul setting Pakistan on their way to a comfortable triumph.
Twenty-four hours later, Pakistan were invited to bat first and posted 160-4 as Khalid Latif (40), Shoaib Malik (37) and skipper Sarfraz Ahmed (46) made useful contributions.
West Indies then slumped to 89-7 in reply and some late defiance from Sunil Narine (30 off 17 balls) provided little consolation as the tourists finished on 144-9, Sohail Tanvir returning outstanding figures of 3-13.
Pakistan made a slow start themselves and had only four runs on the board when Sharjeel Khan (2) played on to Samuel Badree in the third over of the match.
However, although Badree (1-24) and captain Carlos Brathwaite (1-24) kept things tight, Pakistan were able to post a healthy total.
Latif provided initial momentum by dominating a 54-run stand with Babar Azam (19), who holed out to long-on from Brathwaite’s first delivery.
Having been put down by Nicholas Pooran at deep backward square on 22, Latif was run out in the 12th over, but Sarfraz and Shoaib shared 69 in quick time prior to the latter falling to Dwayne Bravo (1-38) in the final over.
West Indies soon found themselves in deep trouble on 19-3, Johnson Charles falling cheaply to Wasim before Tanvir struck in successive overs to remove Evin Lewis and Marlon Samuels.
Only 45 runs were on the board at the halfway stage of the innings, by which point Bravo had also departed to Mohammad Nawaz.
Andre Fletcher (29) and Kieron Pollard (18) briefly rallied, but their dismissals in the same Hasan Ali (3-49) over signalled the end of West Indies’ hopes.
Five boundaries from Narine, including a six off Hasan, came too late in the day and the Windies’ top scorer was out to the final ball of the match. (Omnisport.com).