“Easy to focus on the…”: Shai Hope and Jayden Seales power West Indies to Historic Series win against Pakistan

West Indies cricket got a much-needed boost on Tuesday as Shai Hope’s brilliant century and Jayden Seales devastating spell powered the hosts to a crushing 202-run victory over Pakistan in the third and final ODI Tarouba, Trinidad and Tobago. The emphatic win secured a 2-1 series triumph- West Indies first bilateral ODI series win over Pakistan since 1991- and marked the first time Pakistan have lost an ODI to the Caribbean side by more than 200 runs.

Hope, the West Indies captain, scored an unbeaten 120 off 94 balls, hitting ten fours and five sixes. He shared an explosive unbroken seventh-wicket stand off 110 runs in just eight overs with Justin Greaves, who blasted 43 not out from 24 balls with two sixes and four fours. Their partnership helped West Indies post 294-6 after being put in to bat.

Pakistan’s chase unraveled almost immediately. Seales tore through the top order, removing Saim Ayub (0), Abdullah Shafique (0), and captain Mohammad Rizwan (0) in quick succession to leave the visitors reeling at 8-3. Babar Azam (9) soon followed, trapped lbw for Seales’ fourth wicket, and Pakistan slumped to 23-4 inside nine overs.

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Seales finished with career-best figures of 6-18 from 7.2 overs as Pakistan folded for just 92 in 29.2 overs. Salman Agha top-scored with 30, but he received little support as three of the top four batters recorded ducks.

The victory was especially sweet for West Indies cricket, coming just days after a two-day emergency summit attended by legends Brian Lara and Clive Lloyd, where strategies to revive the team’s fortunes were discussed. Hope himself was part of the talks following the team’s embarrassing total of 27 in a recent Test innings against Australia — one run short of the all-time record low.

“It’s been too easy to focus on the negatives in the past, but now there are positives to shout about,” Hope said after the win.

West Indies had lost the series opener by five wickets before bouncing back with a five-wicket victory in the second ODI to level the series. In the decider, they dominated with both bat and ball, ending a long drought of home series defeats against top sides.