GEORGETOWN: Pakistan maintained their winning streak over the West Indies as rain had the final say yet again with the scheduled final encounter of the four-match Twenty20 International series abandoned as a no-result at the Providence Stadium in Guyana on Tuesday.

Just one of the scheduled matches reached a conclusion on the field of play with the tourists defeating the home side by seven runs in the second match on Saturday at the same venue.

Although play started on time in the final match, just three overs were bowled with the opening pair of Andre Fletcher and Chris Gayle getting the West Indies off to a flying start at 30 without loss.

Fletcher (17) slammed off-spinning all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez for two sixes in the first over of the truncated West Indies innings before Gayle (12) took two successive fours off young pacer Mohammad Wasim in the next over

However, the combination of steady rainfall and an outfield that had already soaked up considerable moisture in the preceding two days meant another length delay.

There were hopes of playing a match reduced to nine overs per side, but just as the action was about to resume a drizzle arrived which developed into showers and ended any hope the home side had of squeezing out a victory to level the series.

Attention now shifts to the two-Test series with both matches being played at Sabina Park in Kingston, Jamaica, starting from Aug 12.

Scoreboard

WEST INDIES:

A.D.S. Fletcher not out 17

C.H. Gayle not out 12

EXTRAS (LB-1) 1

TOTAL (for no wkt, 3 overs) 30

DID NOT BAT: S.O. Hetmyer, N. Pooran, K.A. Pollard, A.D. Russell, J.O. Holder, D.J. Bravo, R. Shepherd, H.R. Walsh, A.J. Hosein.

BOWLING: Mohammad Hafeez 1-0-14-0; Mohammad Wasim 1-0-11-0; Hasan Ali 1-0-4-0

PAKISTAN: Sharjeel Khan, Mohammad Rizwan, Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez, Sohaib Maqsood, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Wasim, Usman Qadir, Haris Rauf.

RESULT: Match abandoned; Pakistan win the four-match series 1-0.

UMPIRES: P.A. Gustard (West Indies) and L.S.A. Reifer (West Indies).

FIRST MATCH: Bridgetown, no result.

SECOND MATCH: Providence, Pakistan won by seven runs.

THIRD MATCH: Providence, abandoned.

Published in Dawn, August 4th, 2021