After a dismal ODI series against England, Pakistan finally struck some form as they whitewashed West Indies in the 3 match series. The third ODI followed the trend of the first two games as Pakistan piled upon a massive score to comprehensively win the game. Youngster Babar Azam etched himself in record books as he became just the second batsman to score three consecutive centuries in a 3 match ODI series.
Post the series victory, Pakistan’s ODI skipper Azhar Ali was confident about his side gaining an automatic entry into the 2019 World Cup, to be played in England. With the cutoff date for qualification set at 30th September 2017, the top 8 teams will qualify directly for the grand event. The remaining two slots would be determined after a qualification tournament. “It was an important series and it’s just the start of more challenges,” Ali said.”We have to keep this improvement with one year to go for the World Cup 2019 deadline.”
Lauding his side for the comprehensive series win, Ali in particular, was full of awe of Babar Azam. “We have good players who have gelled well,” he said. “Babar Azam stood out in this series and to score consistently with back-to-back hundreds shows that he has that hunger. He has given a world-class performance,” Ali added.
When quizzed about the role played by coach Mickey Arthur, Ali praised the entire support staff. “Mickey has an important role,” he said. “It’s a full team and the credit also goes to the selection committee, fielding coach Steve Rixon, physio Grant Luden and batting coach Grant Flower – all have contributed a lot so it’s a full team,” Ali said.
With the T20I’s and ODI’s being convincingly won by Pakistan, the focus will now shift to the test matches, where Misbah Ul Haq will return to lead the side.