LAUDERHILL; West Indies edged past Pakistan in a thrilling finish, winning the second T20 International by two wickets at Central Broward Regional Park to level the three-match series 1-1.
Batting first after winning the toss, Pakistan stumbled early as Jason Holder struck twice, removing Saim Ayub and Sahibzada Farhan cheaply. Akeal Hosein then dismissed Mohammad Haris, reducing Pakistan to 21-3.
Captain Agha Salman and Hasan Nawaz stabilized the innings with a 60-run stand. Salman scored a composed 38 off 33 balls, while Nawaz made a fiery 40.
However, regular wickets halted Pakistan’s momentum, with Gudakesh Motie and Holder taking control. Holder ended with brilliant figures of 4-19, surpassing Dwayne Bravo’s T20I record for West Indies with 81 wickets. Motie added three scalps as Pakistan posted 133-9.
In reply, the hosts were reeling at 53-4 by the 11th over, with Mohammad Nawaz and Saim Ayub making key breakthroughs. Motie’s counter-attack (28 off 20) revived hopes before he was run out.
With 36 needed off 18 balls, Holder (16 not out) and Romario Shepherd (15) kept calm. Despite late drama and losing Shepherd in the final over, Holder hit a boundary on the last ball to clinch victory, ending West Indies’ losing streak in T20s.
The series decider is set for tonight.
