Pakistan’s limited-over captain, Shahid Afridi, was pleased with the One Day International (ODI) series win against West Indies, despite the team losing the final two games of the five-match series. He claimed that the win in Caribbean will boost the confidence in the dressing room and will be helpful for future series against other teams.
The aggressive all-rounder stated, “The series victory is important for us. We are not playing any cricket at home, so winning this series is very important and will keep the morale high, and I think for the future it will be good for us.”
Afridi also praised the efforts of all-rounder, Mohammad Hafeez, who did a terrific job during the matches. He scored runs and took wickets for the team with consistency, which earned him the Player-of-the-Series award.
Hafeez was also satisfied with his performance, but wanted a better finish by the team. He stated, “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 trusted my ability, who supported me during my tough times. My family, too.”
Pakistan started the ODI series brilliantly, winning the first three matches. However, the team was unable to continue the winning momentum and lost the final two games. West Indies had a bit of luck in the fourth match of the series, as it was rain affected. The hosts managed to win the game by just one run using the Duckworth-Lewis method.
The main concern for the Windies has been their lower-order batsmen, who have failed to perform against the quality spin bowling of the Men-in-Green. Had the penultimate match been a complete one, the visitors might have been on the winning side.
The final game proved to be a one-sided affair though, as Pakistan were bundled-up for 139 in the 42nd over of their innings. The West Indian opening pair of Lendl Simmons and Kirk Edwards had no trouble when they came out to bat and the target was achieved successfully with all wickets intact.
Both teams will now feature in a two-match test series, which kicks off from Thursday, May 12th, 2011.
