West Indies have recorded their first series win, away from home, in ODI cricket since 2011. By beating Afghanistan 3-0, the new-look side under Kieron Pollard must have gained some much-needed confidence. All three matches were relatively one-sided affairs with only the last game seeing some kind of fight.
For Afghanistan, however, the series is a big setback. Losing in Asian conditions to a side notorious for struggling against the turning ball is very disappointing. Despite having a new captain and a formidable spin attack, the Afghans couldn't stop the Windies.
Here's a look at the 5 most important takeaways from the Afghanistan vs West Indies series, involving both teams.
Hope gives more hope
Shai Hope once again came good for West Indies. However, his performance against tougher opposition in the World Cup wasn't very impressive. Even his hundred in the last ODI was scored at a much steadier pace than what ODI cricket of modern-day requires.
It has now been conclusively proven that Hope has massive talent and can get hundreds easily against weaker opposition. The question of whether he can be equally efficient against tougher teams remains to be seen.
All's not well with Windies batting
While the West Indians won all three matches, there is one major problem that they are facing. It is the lack of runs from batsmen other than Hope and Roston Chase. Shimron Hetmyer once again showed himself to be lacking in patience and calculation.
Evin Lewis struggled against straight deliveries from Mujeeb-ur-Rahman. Captain Pollard is also not contributing as much. If the Caribbean side wants to win in India, they need more contributions from these batsmen.
Afghanistan badly need good fast bowlers
One would have expected a country of Pathans to produce highly-talented fast bowlers. Alas, Afghanistan seems to be entirely reliant on spin bowlers at the moment. This may not be a bad thing in Asian conditions.
But if they want to become a good side all-round, they need to get some good pacemen. In this series, we saw Naveen-ul-Haq. But more is needed if the Afghans are to join the ranks of top teams in world cricket.
Growth of Chase as off-spinner
Roston Chase has been billed as an all-rounder for West Indies and in 2016, became the first player from the region since Sir Garfield Sobers to score a hundred and pick five wickets in the same Test. But his bowling since then hasn't been very effective.
However, in this series, he looked effective and picked up key wickets, that too in typical off-spinner's style – caught at slip off the outside-edge. This may signal the arrival of Chase as a proper bowler. Of course, his real test would come when he plays against India and its devastating batsmen.
Another display of Ikram's potential
Though he got only one half-century in this series, in the first match, Ikram Ali Khil has once again proven that he is a great talent for Afghanistan and, at 19 years of age, a huge prospect for the future. The way he batted in the first ODI showed abundance of skills and ability.
It was in the World Cup that his talent first came into view when he replaced Mohammad Shehzad. Now, it is clear that he is a player that Afghanistan should invest in. He may well emerge as the first great batter for the new Test-playing nation.
