CHRIS GAYLE'S rich vein of form with the bat continued in Abu Dhabi last Sunday; unfortunately for the West Indies his centuries are not translating into victories for the side.

The West Indies skipper followed his 113 in the first one-day international against Pakistan at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium with 122 in the third and final encounter, but it still wasn't enough to prevent the 'home' team from winning by 31 runs and sweeping the series.

The tall Jamaican lefthander began, by his standards, quite slowly, but eventually found his stride in an innings which featured six sixes and five boundaries from 137 balls at the large ground.

The innings was not without controversy, as Gayle appeared to have clearly nicked one through to the 'keeper when on 99, but umpire Mark Benson kept his index finger down, and the opener went on to complete his 18th ODI century.

With Gayle at the crease, the West Indies still had a shot at chasing down Pakistan's total of 273, but when he finally fell in the 44th over with the scoreboard reading 232 for seven, the quest was effectively over and the tail folded three overs later.

- Tym Glaser