Close Pakistan 232 all out (Shoaib Malik 111*, Naved Latif 45) beat West Indies 181 all out (Gayle 63, Sami 4 for 44) by 51 runs
scorecard

Mohammad Sami finished the match off in style, with a hat-trick no less, as Pakistan romped to an emphatic 51-run victory over West Indies in the second one-day international at Sharjah to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series. After Shoaib Malik's magnificent maiden century lifted them to the improbable heights of 232, their bowlers stormed back after being given a real pummeling by the exuberant Chris Gayle early on in the West Indian innings.

The first wicket in Sami's hat-trick sequence was a slightly dubious leg-before decision that Ridley Jacobs was clearly unimpressed with. But there was nothing fortuitous about the missile-like yorkers that made unappetising messes of Corey Collymore's and Cameron Cuffy's stumps to seal the deal for Pakistan.

Gayle had led the way as West Indies went hell-for-leather in search of a victory that would even up the series. He smashed his way to a 32-ball fifty, and with Wavell Hinds providing stout support, they were healthily placed to overhaul Pakistan's total.

Gayle hit three sixes, two of them slashed over third man and the third pulled a long way out of the ground. He was equally ruthless on anything pitched short or full and both Waqar Younis and Shoaib Akhtar came in for the full treatment. There were a couple of superb strokes off his pads down to the square-leg fence and fluent cover-drives that left the fielders standing. After getting to his fifty, he kept going, clipping Sami off his legs and then slashing him over point.

Hinds played the anchorman to perfection, though he was extremely lucky not to be given out caught behind with the score on 98 – after he edged one from Razzaq through to the keeper. It was Shoaib's searing pace that got Pakistan into contention, with a wicket off the second ball of his second spell. Gayle, who had played quite beautifully for his 46-ball 62, checked a square drive and Shahid Afridi made no mistake at point (101 for 2).

West Indies pressed the self-destruct button soon after. Hinds had played with commendable patience and concentration for his 29 before Shoaib rumbled in to castle him with the perfect yorker (110 for 3).

Carl Hooper started off by guiding Shoaib to the third man boundary but he made only seven before being trapped plumb in front by a peach of a delivery from Waqar (127 for 4).

The debutant, Runako Morton, had eased his way to 16 by the time Sami got an inswinger to sneak through his defensive prod (133 for 5). After the blazing start provided by Gayle and Hinds, it was back to business as usual – and the customary downward graph – for West Indies.

Ryan Hinds cover-drive Sami twice for boundaries as he and Chanderpaul looked to put the innings back on the rails. They added 45 at a fair clip before the umpire chipped in with a favour for Pakistan. Hinds, who impressed during his 18, was adjudged leg before to Abdur Razzaq even though the ball pitched outside the leg stump (178 for 6). That was all the help that Pakistan needed, because Razzaq then had Chanderpaul caught behind for 22 with a beautiful delivery that seamed away to take the edge (180 for 7). After that, Sami took over, and West Indies skulked off into the night, well-beaten.

Earlier, Malik provided the impetus as Pakistan – after a slumbering start – powered to 232 all out in 49 overs. His sparkling effort of 111 was the adhesive that held it all together after his team made a shocking start after electing to make first use of another Sharjah batting beauty.

An out-of-sorts Inzamam ul-Haq made just three before flailing at a wide one from Cuffy and getting the edge through to Gayle at first slip (7 for 1). Afridi had already survived a caught-and-bowled opportunity in Mervyn Dillon's opening over, but there would be no cat-with-nine-lives performance from him today as Dillon clung on to a leaning edge that looped back to him (7 for 2).

Malik and Younis Khan were then subjected to real pressure by Cuffy and Dillon. Cuffy, in particular, was outstanding, getting through his first eight overs for just 16, and bowling four maidens in the process. Just as the batsmen started to up the ante with some attacking strokes, Cuffy gave West Indies another breakthrough, trapping Younis plumb in front with a ball that darted back into the batsman (43 for 3).

Yousuf Youhana was dropped by Jacobs behind the stumps off Cuffy, but he didn't stick around for a second bite of the cherry. He departed in almost identical fashion to Younis, only this time Collymore was the bowler on target (51 for 4).

Malik and Naved Latif then went into recovery mode and got Pakistan back on track. The partnership started slowly but assumed threatening proportions after Latif opened out with a flurry of boundaries.

He pulled Collymore twice to the square-leg fence when he erred down the legside and was equally contemptuous in his treatment of Gayle's part-time offspin – spanking him for a six over deep midwicket - immediately after Jacobs put down another sitter behind the stumps - and then hitting him to the sightscreen for four more. Malik rotated the strike adroitly and showed glimpses of genuine batting class with a delicate late cut that ran down to third man for three.

Latif got to 45 in quick time before his attempt to drive Hooper over the long-on boundary was taken by Cuffy ten yards inside the rope (124 for 5). With Pakistan's batsmen switching to bludgeon mode, West Indies suffered another blow when Darryl Brown was stretchered off after turning his ankle. Malik got to his fifty and then pushed on with a magnificent straight drive off Dillon.

Razzaq carried on where he left off last night, lofting Collymore over midwicket and out of the stadium and then hoicking him in the same direction for six more. Malik laid into Cuffy, cutting him crisply past point and then pulling him to the fine-leg fence.

Razzaq had breezed to 30 when he slashed at a wide one from Ryan Hinds, for Gayle at point to take a stunning catch high to his right (186 for 6). Malik carried on regardless, smashing Hinds inside-out over cover for six and flicking Dillon off his pads to move into the nineties.

Rashid Latif made just five before a direct hit from Wavell Hinds at deep midwicket sent him on his way (203 for 7). Malik then nudged a single to mid-on to reach three figures. He used the long handle to telling effect at the finish, driving Dillon inside out over cover and then spanking him one-bounce down to the sightscreen.

But the tail didn't stick around too long. Waqar was trapped leg before by Hinds (219 for 8) and Shoaib Akhtar run out by a direct hit from Gayle (223 for 9) before Mohammad Sami nicked one from Dillon behind the stumps to end the innings prematurely. A fantastic recovery from Pakistan and all thanks to yet another in the seemingly unending assembly line of Pakistani talent. And there was still the Sami show to come…

Teams
Pakistan 1 Shahid Afridi, 2 Inzamam-ul-Haq, 3 Younis Khan, 4 Shoaib Malik, 5 Yousuf Youhana, 6 Naved Latif, 7 Abdur Razzaq, 8 Rashid Latif (wkt), 9 Waqar Younis (capt), 10 Shoaib Akhtar, 11 Mohammad Sami

West Indies 1 Daren Ganga, 2 Chris Gayle, 3 Wavell Hinds, 4 Carl Hooper (capt), 5 Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 6 Ryan Hinds, 7 Ridley Jacobs (wkt), 8 RS Morton, 9 Mervyn Dillon, 10 Cameron Cuffy, 11 Corey Collymore

Dileep Premachandran is assistant editor of Wisden.com India

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