By Shahid Hashmi in Abu Dhabi
Pakistan produced another dominating performance to beat the West Indies and with it completed the misery of former world champions — a 3-0 whitewash and rise to number eight in one-day rankings.
That was achieved — by 136 run win in the final ODI — after young and fast improving batsman Babar Azam knocked his third hundred in as many games, leading Pakistan to another xxx run win in the third and final one-day.
With the 3-0 win Pakistan also achieved what they set for before the series — one position rise in one-day rankings at the expense of West Indies who are now slipped to ninth.
Without their inspirational and successful coach Phil Simmons, the West Indies looked a shadow of the team which twice beat South Africa and Australia once in the tri-series back home in June this year.
World champions in the Twenty20 format, West Indies were also blanked 3-0 in the preceding Twenty20 series.
Pakistan were never in doubt of another win after Babar Azam set them on course with a 106-ball 117 which again proved his class. He batted with authority and must have inspired his out of form skipper Azhar Ali who returned to form with 101.
Babar became the eight batsmen in the world to score three hundreds in as many one-day and only third Pakistani behind Zaheer Abbas and Saeed Anwar. He also set a new record for a three match series with 360 beating the 342 set by South African Quinton de Kock back home three years ago.
“It was special from Babar and we fought very hard to win this series 3-0,” said Azhar.
West Indies batsmen once again looked shaky and although most of them got good starts but they failed to turn them into big and ultimately stopped at 172.
Kraig Brathwaite made 32, Evin Lewis 22 and Darren Bravo 17 but none of them could lift the innings as Mohammad Nawaz and Wahab Riaz shared five wickets between them.
The two teams now play a three Test series starting in Dubai from October 13.