Man-of-the-match Babar Azam helped Pakistan win the three-match T20 international series against visiting West Indies by thumping them in the second Twenty20 match by 82 runs at National Stadium Karachi on Monday night.
Babar played 58-ball to hammer unbeaten 97 runs with the help of 13 fours and one six and thus named player of the match. Pakistan posted a huge 205-3 on the board in 20 overs which was green shirts highest-ever Twenty20 total.
Chasing a mammoth total of 206 runs, the West Indies showed more resistance Monday as Chadwick Walton hit two sixes and four boundaries during his 29-ball 40 and added 39 for the second wicket with the experienced Marlon Samuels who made 12. But Shadab (2-23) dismissed both in the space of seven runs to check the West Indian chase before Talat mopped up the tail with 2-12.
Paceman M Amir took 3-22 as the West Indies were dismissed for 123 in 19.2 overs, faring much better than their 60 all out in the first match which they lost by 143 runs - the second-biggest margin of defeat in T20 internationals. The third match ison Tuesday, also in Karachi.
Earlier, Sarfraz Ahmed won the toss and decided to bat first. Babar set Pakistan on course for a fourth successive 180-plus total - the first team to achieve the feat in T20s. The opener put on 119 for the second wicket with Hussain Talat, who notched a 41-ball 63 with eight boundaries and a six. Pakistan lost opener Fakhar Zaman for six but Babar and Talat batted solidly as the West Indies bowlers struggled again.
Asif Ali fell for 14 but Pakistan plundered 61 runs in the last five overs, with Shoaib Malik smashing two boundaries and a six in his seven-ball 17 not out. Babar failed to reach his century, ending the innings three short of becoming only the second Pakistani batsman after Ahmed Shehzad to score a T20 hundred. Shehzad had achieved the feat against Bangladesh in Dhaka in 2014.
The third match is also in Karachi on Tuesday.
Teams:
Pakistan: Sarfraz Ahmed (captain), Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Asif Ali, Hussain Talat, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Amir, Hasan Ali
West Indies: Jason Mohammed (captain), Samuel Badree, Rayad Emrit, Andre Fletcher, Keemo Paul, Rovman Powell, Denesh Ramdin, Marlon Samuels, Chadwick Walton, Kesrick Williams, Odean Smith