West Indies' Chris Gayle plays a shot during their third one-day international cricket match against Pakistan at Gaddafi Cricket Stadium in Lahore yesterday. - Reuters

LAHORE, Pakistan (CMC):

The West Indies produced a ragged fielding and bowling performance yesterday as Pakistan powered to a comfortable seven-wicket win in an abbreviated third One-Day International (ODI) at the Gaddafi Stadium.

The home team, chasing a revised target of 191 off 35 overs after floodlights failure brought Duckworth/Lewis into play, cruised home at 192 for three with 10 balls to spare.

Imran Farhat, swishing and swatting, produced an erratic topscore of 58 and his opening stand of 64 with Mohammad Hafeez charted the victory course.

There were also 17 wides as the inconsistent West Indies bowlers failed to make full use of another juicy pitch.

Earlier, the Caribbean side compiled 207 for seven off 46.3 overs before bad light, and the malfunctioning artificial lights, prematurely halted the innings.

Disciplined knock

The West Indies' innings was anchored by a disciplined topscore of 70 off 130 balls from Lendl Simmons after opener Chris Gayle's dangerous assault was ended at 41.

Rana Naved led Pakistan with the first ball dismissal of captain Brian Lara and added the scalps of Gayle and Simmons on his way to three for 37 and the Man of the Match award.

The West Indies were dented early after Pakistan skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq won another toss and chose to bowl first in helpful conditions.

Lara, opting to open the batting to try to overcome the handicap of a dodgy left knee, was plumb leg before to a big Rana inswinger the first ball of the second over.

After a tough early test from Rana and Umar Gul, Gayle lifted the tempo with a calculated blitz that lit up the innings.

Waltzing around the crease, Gayle smacked Gul for three fours in one over and just missed out on another when a cracking straight drive hobbled the bowler after crashing into his left shin.

The Jamaican was even more harsh on Rana, taking 21 from his next offering.

Scintillating Stroke

No stroke was more scintillating than a murderous pull that could have been mistaken for a low-range missile and clattered into the railing 100 yards away at square leg.

The under-fire Rana, however, rebounded well and claimed Gayle in similar fashion to Lara. Another inswinger beat Gayle's non-committed forward prod and earned another clear lbw verdict from rookie English umpire Nigel Llong.

Gayle's stand with Simmons was 52 and his junior partner's contribution was five.

Rana should have also claimed Marlon Samuels on four as the right-hander drove loosely early on but Farhat put down an absolute sitter at second slip.

Samuels did not enjoy that sort of luck when he edged again to

Farhat off Rao Iftikhar. This time, the edge was claimed and standing umpire Asad Rauf and Llong conferred before Samuels was ruled out.

BALL STRUCK GROUND

TV replays suggested that the ball struck the ground just as Farhat was getting his fingers under the ball.

At 72 for three in the 15th over, Pakistan sensed they were in command, with Shivnarine Chanderpaul's absence through injury again leaving an unheralded middle and lower order.

Simmons, however, batted with maturity beyond his 21 years and experience of just one previous international. He was never fully fluent but stalled Pakistan's progress and, with his Trinidadian skipper Daren Ganga, established the innings again.

The right-handed pair added 61 for the fourth wicket before Ganga frustratingly perished in the 20s again after settling in.

Ganga played across the line of a big-spinning delivery from Abdur Rehman and had his off stump clipped.

Runako Morton could not repeat his defiance of the first match as Rehman, a cool head in only his second ODI, bowled him with a flatter delivery. Simmons and Dwayne Smith lifted the run rate towards the end.

Smith smacked a six and two fours in 23 before he repeated a dismissal that has plagued him throughout his career, bowled as he tried to hoik to the leg side off Gul.

Simmons, who passed his maiden fifty off 96 balls, struck seven fours before he made room to his through the off side and lost his middle stump to Rana.

The light had been gloomy throughout the innings and the floodlights were turned on early but failed due to electrical problems.

As the light faded, Simmons and Smith had opted to continue despite the umpires offer of bad light. But after both fell, and the light got no better, Denesh Ramdin and Ian Bradshaw decided to go off.

It was to be the end of the West Indian innings as overcast conditions and the failing lights brought a delay of close to two hours.

The resumption, after some hectic work by technicians, left Pakistan with a challenging 191 off 35 overs.

The home team too, were uncertain about their captain, who had to receive three stitches in his left little finger after taking a blow from Samuels midway through the Windies innings.

The West Indies should have made the Pakistan task even harder in the first over but a mix-up between Hafeez and Farhat on a third run went unpunished. Daren Ganga muffed the simple run out chance as he trod on the bowler's end stumps before frantically trying to accept the return and complete the dismissal with Farhat yards short.

It was a sign of things to come as fielders and bowlers alike made the Pakistanis' task easier.

Simmons was the next villain as Hafeez's swivel pull was grassed at square leg off Bradshaw. By then, Bradshaw had already sent five wides flying down the leg side and the extras count was at 11.

Chris Gayle provided an unexpected breakthrough at 64 for one when Hafeez, who hit 31 off 43 balls, was superbly caught at wide long on by Jerome Taylor. Hafeez hit one six and two fours.

Lara surprisingly chose to leave his best bowler Corey Collymore patrolling the boundary as the rest of the bowlers struggled and the bearded Barbadian only came into the attack at 93 for one in the 18th over.

Gayle soon provided another strike to end Kamran Akmal's breezy 23 off 20 balls.

Collymore added the wicket of Farhat towards the end, but the Pakistanis always had a lot left in the tank.

Farhat hit five fours and two sixes off 72 deliveries before swiping one to long-off with victory in sight.

Mohammad Yousuf, so prolific in the Tests, returned to the side and finished 28 not out. Shoaib Malik hit the winning runs on his way to an unbeaten 21.

After the first defeat, Lara was left blaming the batting failures. It was the bowlers and the fielders who were the guilty ones yesterday.

WEST INDIES Innings:

C. Gayle lbw Naved-ul-Hasan