Pakistan v West Indies, 2016-17

Test matches (3): Pakistan 2, West Indies 1
One-day internationals (3): Pakistan 3, West Indies 0
Twenty20 internationals (3): Pakistan 3, West Indies 0

There was a time when Pakistan v West Indies was the business class of rivalries - even if it made little sense to those outside cricketing circles. There were no economic or geopolitical threads to bind them. Neither housed a substantial diaspora of the other, so there was a lack of cultural familiarity. Were it not for cricket, Pakistan and West Indies could have existed quite happily without their destinies crossing. Yet Test series between them - though lacking the history of the Ashes, or the passion of India v Pakistan - were a dramatic upgrade on standard fare.

It was simply brilliant cricket that made the rivalry, particularly three encounters between the mid-1980s and early 1990s, magnificent battles for an unofficial world championship. But over the years a sharp decline in quality, especially West Indies', has led to a troubling question: what real reason is there - other than nostalgia - for them to be playing each other?

This was the first time in ten years Pakistan had hosted West Indies for a full tour. During that decade, few pined for their return and, with a great dark cloud of pointlessness hovering throughout, few rejoiced when they did. Instead, this series spoke volumes for the Future Tours Programme: an annoying obligation that, like family, you don't get to choose, just endure. The ICC can point to the ranking points at stake, yet nobody, except the No. 1 side and their fans, has much time for the league table.

There was the significance of Test cricket's second day/night game, the first in this series, at Dubai. Despite Azhar Ali's triple-century, the contest itself had little to recommend it, at least until the last two days, when Devendra Bishoo's eight-for and Darren Bravo's hundred nearly engineered a remarkable West Indies victory. Attendances throughout the series were pitiful, which came as no surprise: five-day cricket does not have a rich history in the UAE, where the supporters have grown up with Twenty20. When plans for a Test Cricket Fund were first drawn up, to support contests that would otherwise be unviable, it was conceived with this kind of series in mind.

West Indies were dismal during the limited-overs matches, whitewashed in both formats. They slipped to ninth in the 50-over rankings; if they are still there in September 2017, they will not qualify automatically for the World Cup in 2019. From afar, they seemed uninterested but, as administrative shenanigans continued, who could blame them? Phil Simmons, the popular coach who had won the World Twenty20 earlier in the year, had been sacked as the squad prepared to depart. The WICB cited "differences in culture and strategic approach" and, as a stopgap, replaced Simmons with Joel Garner, formerly the team manager.

Dwayne Bravo gave his glum assessment after the T20 series. "Basically the players were lost," he said. "The management looked lost… we were looking like schoolkids again. The team meetings had no sort of positive input. It was like we were just there." For once, Pakistan enjoyed the greater stability, and carried out a long overdue reboot of their white-ball game, with Babar Azam scoring a hundred in each of the three one-day internationals, and totalling a record 360. But they grew complacent as the Tests began, collapsing three times in six innings. The last two, in Sharjah, allowed a win for West Indies - as unlikely a result as there was in 2016. That averted a cross-format clean sweep, and provided the series with at least one unexpected memory.

Match reports for

Tour Match: Emirates Cricket Board XI v West Indies at ICCA Dubai, Sep 20, 2016
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1st T20I: Pakistan v West Indies at Dubai (DICS), Sep 23, 2016
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2nd T20I: Pakistan v West Indies at Dubai (DICS), Sep 24, 2016
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3rd T20I: Pakistan v West Indies at Abu Dhabi, Sep 27, 2016
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1st ODI: Pakistan v West Indies at Sharjah, Sep 30, 2016
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2nd ODI: Pakistan v West Indies at Sharjah, Oct 2, 2016
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Tour Match: Emirates Cricket Board XI v West Indies at ICCA Dubai, Oct 3-4, 2016
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3rd ODI: Pakistan v West Indies at Abu Dhabi, Oct 5, 2016
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Tour Match: Pakistan Cricket Board Patron's XI v West Indies at Sharjah, Oct 7-9, 2016
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1st Test: Pakistan v West Indies at Dubai (DICS), Oct 13-17, 2016
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2nd Test: Pakistan v West Indies at Abu Dhabi, Oct 21-25, 2016
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3rd Test: Pakistan v West Indies at Sharjah, Oct 30-Nov 3, 2016
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