Following West Indies’ dismal performance in the T20s and ODIs, no one had expected much of fight from the depleted squad. Against all odds, they put a strong fight in the first two tests, and were able to stretch the game to the final sessions of last day but ended up losing both. On the other hand, before the start of the third Test match, Pakistan was on a home run having won their previous 10 international games. There was a record in sight as no team in the history of cricket had clean swept in nine games across all formats.
But things changed as the third Test match started in Sharjah, the venue with Pakistan’s lowest win/loss ratio in the UAE. Pakistan’s batting lineup looked extremely complacent. Coupled with loose shots and some passionate bowling from the Windies, the Pakistani team was only able to set a meagre total of 153. Previous two tests had gone down to the wire to produce the end result. There was a moment when it looked like West Indies might squander their best chance of winning a Test outside their home since 2007 when they lost their first five wickets cheaply.
