West Indies 124 for 3 (Matthews 58, Campbelle 21, Baig 1-22) beat Pakistan 121 for 7 (Muneeba 55, Matthews 3-26, Henry 1-15) by seven wickets.

Having missed the chance to chase an almost identical score in the first T20I, Pakistan opted to bat first this time, only to see their innings fall into jeopardy early on. Gull Feroza struggled to get the ball out of the box in a tortuous 14 off 29 balls with Chinelle Henry in particular causing him considerable problems. He struck to remove Sidra Ameen early, with the pressure of scoring runs falling on Muneeba and as a result, Pakistan limped to just 33 in the powerplay.

Muneeba injected some impetus into the innings, but his 47-ball 55 was Pakistan’s only effort that was better than a run a ball. An encouraging third-wicket partnership with Nida Dar collapsed at a crucial juncture in the 16th over, just when Pakistan might have felt they had the platform to go for the death. In a masterful final by Matthews, three wickets fell and only five runs were scored as Pakistan’s effort ended tamely, the home team limping to 121 on a pitch that seemed to offer so much more.

However, Matthews aside, the West Indies also failed to overcome the Pakistan players. The visitors got off to a fast start, flying to 38 in the first five, but it was something of a one-woman show, with Matthews hitting all five West Indies boundaries in this time. When the trio of Nashra Sandhu, Tuba Hassan and Nida Dar came in, Pakistan briefly regained some control, with the West Indies reduced to scoring at just over six an over for the next six overs.

But Pakistan needed land, and the West Indies were never required to take the risks they were allowed to glimpse. When Sadia Iqbal removed Matthews, West Indies needed just 34 to win and had more than seven overs to do so. When Tuba cleaned up Shemaine Campbelle, there may have been the tiniest glimmer of hope for the home team. , but the visitors were too clinical and by then had already put Pakistan off the track. When Chedean Nation sealed victory with a boundary, both sides were going through the motions and there was a sense of a formality being completed.

The third of five T20Is will be held on April 30 in Karachi, and a win for the West Indies will ensure victory in the series.