Shai Hope's Century Leads West Indies to Historic ODI Series Victory Over Pakistan

West Indies Celebrate Historic Win

Shai Hope played a pivotal role in bringing some much-needed positivity to West Indies cricket, scoring a remarkable century that propelled the team to a decisive 202-run victory against Pakistan.

This triumph marks the first time since 1991 that the West Indies have secured a bilateral ODI series win over Pakistan, breaking a streak of home series losses in both Test and T20 formats against Australia and Pakistan.

Hope's impressive innings of 120 not out was complemented by a stellar bowling performance from Jayden Seales, who dismantled Pakistan's batting lineup with six wickets during the final ODI.

Expressing his pride, the West Indies captain highlighted the shift from focusing on the negatives to celebrating the positives in West Indies cricket.

This significant win followed a two-day emergency summit aimed at revitalizing Caribbean cricket, attended by legends like Brian Lara and Clive Lloyd, who discussed strategies to elevate the West Indies back to prominence in international cricket.

The summit was convened after a dismal performance where the West Indies managed only 27 runs in their second innings, narrowly missing the record for the lowest Test total, during their third Test against Australia.

After enduring eight consecutive losses to Australia and a 2-1 defeat in a T20 series against Pakistan in Florida, the West Indies faced a setback in the ODI series opener against Pakistan, losing by five wickets.

However, the team bounced back with a five-wicket win in the second ODI, igniting hopes for a revival, and they dominated the third match.

In the final match, Pakistan was bowled out for just 92 runs in 29.2 overs after the West Indies set a target of 294-6 at Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba, Trinidad and Tobago.

Hope's innings included five sixes and ten fours off just 94 balls, and he formed an unbroken seventh-wicket partnership of 110 runs with Justin Greaves, who contributed a quickfire 43 not out from 24 balls.

Pakistan's chase faltered early, collapsing to 23-4 by the ninth over, with three of their top four batsmen failing to score. Opener Saim Ayub was dismissed on the third ball, and captain Mohammad Rizwan was bowled for a golden duck.

Seales continued his dominance, claiming his fourth wicket by trapping Babar Azam (9) lbw, finishing with remarkable figures of 6-18 from 7.2 overs.

Pakistan's innings ended with another golden duck as Abrar Ahmed was run out by Chase, sealing the match and the series.