Pakistan suffered a big setback ahead of the series-deciding third T20I against the West Indies as veteran top-order batter Fakhar Zaman was ruled out due to a left hamstring strain. The injury, sustained during the second T20I in Lauderhill, has also ruled him out of the upcoming three-match ODI series in Trinidad. However, the visitors bounced back strongly to win the third T20I by 13 runs and seal the T20I series by a 1-2 margin.
Fakhar Zaman sustained the injury in the 19th over of the second T20I while chasing a ball in the outfield.
A medical assessment confirmed a mild strain to his left hamstring. The 35-year-old will return to Pakistan on August 4 and begin his rehabilitation under the supervision of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) medical staff at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore.
Fakhar had a decent outing with the bat as he registered scores of 28 and 20 in the two T20Is but failed to convert his starts into big contributions. Earlier this year, the southpaw was ruled out of the Champions Trophy after pulling up with an injury. At that time, Fakhar had come into that squad as a replacement for Saim Ayub, who too had suffered a similar injury while fielding. The PCB has yet to announce a replacement for Fakhar in the ODI squad.
Despite the absence of Zaman and the omission of Shaheen Afridi, Pakistan delivered a complete performance in the third T20I in Lauderhill to defeat West Indies by 13 runs and win the series 2-1.
Batting first after winning the toss, the visitors posted a total of 189/4, courtesy of half-centuries from openers Sahibzada Farhan (74 off 53) and Saim Ayub (66 off 49). Their 138-run opening stand gave Pakistan a major advantage. Cameos from Hasan Nawaz and Faheem Ashraf helped the team cross the 180-mark.
During the chase, West Indies fell short despite solid efforts from Alick Athanaze (60 off 40) and Sherfane Rutherford (51 off 35). Haris Rauf, Sufiyan Muqeem, and Ayub picked up a wicket each and managed to restrict the West Indies to 176/6 in 20 overs. The teams will now fly to Trinidad for the ODI leg of the tour starting, August 08.
