U.A.E. vs West Indies, 3rd ODI at Sharjah, UAE v WI, Jun 09 2023 - Match Result

Shai Hope steps forward to collect the trophy, a beautiful cup. All smiles on the players' face as they line-up for the group photo. Kevin Sinclair performs his signature somersault to signal a fitting finish. Excellent series win for West Indies and they will hope they continue this form when they reach Zimbabwe for the qualifiers. That just about wraps up our day as well. If you missed any of the action, Deivarayan Muthu's report will have you covered. Till then, this is me Ashish Pant, signing off on behalf of Deiva, Sudeep and Chandan. Ciao!

Brandon King is the Player of the Series: The team has given me confidence, the century was great. I was trying to do the best for the team. They [UAE] provided a good challenge, they are in their home conditions and know how to bowl here. They played very competitive cricket. I always enjoy coming here.

Kevin Sinclair is the Player of the Match: It was my dream to play for WI and perform and to do that today was special. Will always cherish it. The wicket was good. It was all about hitting the areas. Two days ago was my grandfather's 75th birthday, and this performance is for him. Can't get any better than this. The staff has supported me and backed me. They know my talent and my abilities. Hats off to them.

Here's West Indies' stand-in captain, Roston Chase: Just wanted to be there at the end. He [Athanaze] has been in ripping form of late. He backed that up well. He has been in ripping form, has been playing that shot [reverse sweep] of late, don't want to be too hard on him. The batters were just trying to rotate the strike in the middle. That is an area we struggle. There is room for improvement. I have been bowling pretty well, I didn't get any wickets but I thought I bowled my best today. Sinclair was great. UAE is great, a bit expensive but great.

First up, here's the UAE captain, Muhammad Waseem: There was a chance, The way Vriitya and Rameez were playing, we could have gone forward, but we lost our way. I was quite upset [with the run outs]. I have learned a lot, and we hope we apply this there [in Zimbabwe for the qualifiers]. [Spinners] Aayan is very talented and so is Karthik. Our talent has come out so well. Jawadullah is a very good bowler, and will work for us in Zimbabwe. We are well prepared for the qualifiers.

Presentation time

9.58pm Relatively straightforward win for West Indies as they claim a win with 14.5 overs in the bag. The chase was setup by debutant Alick Athanaze, who equalled the record for the fastest fifty on debut in ODIs off 26 balls. He slammed 65 off 45 balls, stitching a 66-runs stand with Shamarh Brooks, who also played his part. At one point it seemed West Indies would secure the win much earlier, but the UAE spinners, Aayan Afzal Khan and Karthik Meiyappan got the West Indies batters on a leash. They bowled brilliantly in the middle phase not allowing any batter to get away. They picked two wickets apiece, so did debutant Jawadullah, but the 185-run target was always going to be tough to defend. Good win for West Indies, who will travel to Zimbabwe for the ODI WC qualifiers with a lot of confidence. Do hang around for the presentation.

Still one to win

Me: "@Jave,Not Likely250 wouldn't be an issue cause WI would have played a bit more better we have Low Scoring Syndrome we give it away anytime we chase a low total"

One to win

David: "Not that it needed highlight but this performance highlights why Hope is so important to WI"

West Indies still need four to win. The players have taken a drink. Keemo Paul is in

Jave: "I stand correct, if UAE had gotten to 250 they would have won."