Cricket: Windies thrash Pakistan

Pacer Ravi Rampaul claimed four for 45 and Lendl Simmons followed with an unbeaten 77 as West Indies strode to a 10-wicket victory over Pakistan in the cricket one-day international series finale at National Stadium.

Rampaul's feats, supported well by skipper Darren Sammy's 3-30, sank Pakistan for 139 all out off 41.2 overs.

Mohammad Hafeez, the eventual man of the five-match series, offered the only real resistance with 55 off 83 deliveries.

Simmons then dominated the chase by blasting seven fours and three sixes in a career-best, undefeated 77 off 73 balls.

He and Kirk Edwards, who compiled 40 not out off 71 deliveries, ensured the hosts coasted to their modest target with few alarms.

Pakistan, on the back of victories in the first three matches, took the series 3-2.

Captain Shahid Afridi said he was disappointed in the batting effort.

"I think we didn't play well. We didn't build the partnerships. That's what we were missing. Only Hafeez played well," he said.

But the all-rounder took heart from a series victory away from home.

"Playing a series away is never easy, and winning this series is very important. In the future it would be good for us."

Sammy was thrilled with his team's comprehensive victory.

"We played as a team," Sammy said. "It showed today that what we were doing in the nets finally paid off. We finally transformed it into performance in the middle."

Pakistan was in trouble from the time it won the toss and chose to bat on a flat pitch considered favorable to batting.

The innings was derailed early as Rampaul induced an inside edge from Taufeeq Umar through to wicketkeeper Carlton Baugh to make it 16-1.

Hafeez and Ahmed Shehzad shared a second-wicket stand of 32 before Sammy strangled the innings with his miserly spell on a two-paced pitch.

Shehzad under-edged a pull onto his stumps after struggling to 9 off 33 balls.

Legspinner Devendra Bishoo soon removed Usman Salahuddin leg before for 8 at 67-3.

The slide continued when Sammy claimed Misbah-ul-Haq lbw, and then took the key wicket of Hafeez, who dragged onto his stumps at 93-5.

Umar Akmal offered a brief counterattack, hitting a six and a four in 24 off 27 balls before Rampaul returned to disturb his stumps.

Rampaul added the wickets of Pakistan skipper Afridi and Wahab Riaz as the innings went into terminal decline.

Dwayne Bravo claimed the last two wickets to mop up with 2-16.

Simmons continued his fine form in the series, and rushed to a run-a-ball half century in front of a large crowd of close to 12,000.

There were a few near misses but none of the Pakistan bowlers could find a way through.

Fellow right-hander Edwards supported Simmons well, hitting three boundaries.

The teams meet at the same venue next Thursday in the first test of the two-match series.

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