Shahid Afridi was left to lament a shoddy performance with the bat as Pakistan crashed to a 10-wicket loss in Thursday's fifth and final ODI against the West Indies at the Providence Stadium in Guyana.
Heading into the clash with an unassailable three-one series lead, the tourists won the toss and opted to bat first for the first time in the five-match affair and promptly capitulated to 139 all out in 41.2 overs. Mohammad Hafeez's 55 was as good as it got for Pakistan, while Umar Akmal's 24 at least entertained.
Pakistan's batsmen, admittedly, had no individual nor collective answer to the sharp bounce and superb line and lengths churned out by the West Indian seamers.
While Darren Sammy's three for 30 started the rot at the top of the knock, Ravi Rampaul bagged four for 45 through the middle overs before Dwayne Bravo undid the tail-enders with two for 16.
The Windies' pursuit was a veritable walk in the park as Lendl Simmons secured 77 not out and the Man of the Match award, while fellow opener Kirk Edwards weighed in with an unbeaten 40 in their unbroken 140-run alliance across 23.3 overs.
"This is a disappointing end to the series. This was not a 139-run pitch. We struggled in the batting. The main thing was a lack of partnerships. Just Hafeez played well," said Afridi. "We all wanted to bat first, but we didn't play well."
While Man of the Match Simmons later lauded the input of West Indian batting coach Desmond Haynes, Afridi was left to question a lack thereof after former Pakistan captain Javed Miandad snubbed the position last month.
"We need someone to teach us how to bat in a situation like we had here," he added. "Morale needs to stay high."
All-rounder Hafeez enjoyed the Man of the Series accolade for his 267 runs in five knocks at an average of 53.40 and six wickets at 23.50 apiece.
"It's a bit disappointing the way we ended the series, but we will learn from it. As far as my performance is concerned, I like to thank the people who trusted my ability, who supported me," concluded Hafeez.
