Hope, Seales flatten Pakistan to end West Indies' 34-year drought

Knowing when it's time to go is a valuable trait, and if Pakistan were in any doubt their time in the Caribbean was up, West Indies quashed them and sent the visitors out of town with a comprehensive trouncing.

Jayden Seales' six-wicket haul - the joint second-best figures by a West Indian in men's ODI cricket - and an unbeaten hundred from Shai Hope put Pakistan to the sword in each innings. It was more than enough to secure West Indies' first ODI series win over Pakistan in 34 years with their biggest ever win over Pakistan, scything through them for 92 having set them 295 to win.

It was a 15.2-over passage of play straddling both innings which lay at the heart of West Indies' dominance, a stunning inversion of a script Pakistan thought they had been writing all along. West Indies struggled to get going on what looked a tricky pitch to negotiate against the slower bowlers, with Mohammad Rizwan greedily getting through as many of their part-time fifth bowling options as possible.

West Indies appeared to have sacrificed an ambitious innings total in exchange for conservatism that at least preserved their wickets, but as a result, they hadn't yet crossed 200 by the start of the 44th over. It took one ball to change that, a smeared six from Hope off the first ball from Mohammad Nawaz bringing up that milestone. A second six off the next delivery emphasised his intent, and Pakistan watched frozen as West Indies shuffled themselves off the canvas and began landing body blows Pakistan one after the other.

Rizwan immediately turned to Abrar Ahmed, so effective through the middle of the innings that he'd conceded just five off his first six overs. But West Indies' captain had redlined his game, turbocharging to a gear Pakistan believed he wasn't capable of achieving on this surface. He would bleed a further 18 off the mystery spinner, with Justin Greaves bursting into life from the other end, flaying Hasan Ali for as many. Naseem Shah, trying his best to land the kind of reverse swinging yorkers that had put paid to Roston Chase earlier, could not escape Hope's wrath as he bore down on three figures, getting there with a crunching cover drive that put him third on the all time West Indian ODI centuries list.

That was just the start of a 21-run over, and by the time he caressed Hasan Ali over backward point off the final ball of the innings, 100 had come off the final seven. As Pakistan walked off dejected muttering amongst themselves, it was hard to escape the feeling this was about as poor a passage of play as they could endure.

And yet, Seales spent the next 8.2 overs disabusing them of that notion. For the third time in the series, the right-arm quick exploited the angle moving away to Saim Ayub, who nicked off in the first over. His fellow opener, Abdullah Shafique, would also leave without troubling the scorers, trying to whack Seales over mid-on, but couldn't take into account the heavy ball he was bowling, ballooning it to Gudakesh Motie stationed perfectly in position.

But it was the third of his six which will serve as the jewel in the crown. Rizwan can be tricky to settle on a length to for all his fidgetiness, and as he took a step out, he determined the fourth-stump line on a hard length was safe to leave on both counts. As he shouldered arms, he would have heard the mildest clink behind him, like ice-cubes tinkling in a glass. The ball had seamed back in and kissed the off bail without even touching the stumps; it could not have been dislodged more clinically if someone picked it up and set it on the ground.

A punch-drunk Pakistan were already dreaming up wild scenarios for how this match could turn, and it's safe to say they all involved Babar Azam. Babar, though, was a mere plot-point to Seales' perfect day as he trapped him in front with the batter still in single figures to leave Pakistan reeling at 23 for 4.

It was those 92 balls that defined the game. Pakistan may have started well, but it barely feels like it matters now. The cracks and weaknesses were apparent even then, when Rizwan turned to Hussain Talat for his first deliveries in international cricket after the first powerplay saw them constrict West Indies, only for Evin Lewis to pick him up for two sixes and break the shackles. Abrar was so accurate and menacing he often appeared on the verge of running through West Indies early, and the hosts spent much of the innings batting at a glacial pace well under four runs per over. It did not matter now.

Neither did whatever happened after that fourth Pakistan wicket fell. Salman Agha and Hasan Nawaz had little ambition beyond stealing a few singles each over, even if that made the ultimately Herculean task even more insurmountable as the asking rate spiked. That Pakistan had stripped their side of full-time bowlers for superficial batting depth hardly seemed to matter. They knew they were never getting there anyway, and when the spin of Motie and Chase accounted for them in quick succession, West Indies could see the finish line.

To do the honours, they handed that baton to none other than Seales, who blew past Naseem and Hasan Ali before Abrar jogged through for a single that was never on. Chase effected a direct hit, that sharpness depriving Seales the opportunity to bag the best ever bowling figures in men's ODIs by a West Indian. For all of the young speedster's brilliance, the fact Pakistan ensured they had a final say in their own downfall felt somewhat apt.