KARACHI: Pakistan would be looking to carry on in Dubai from where they left in Manchester earlier this month when they take on world champions West Indies in the opening game of a three-match Twenty20 International series on Friday.
Though scrappy in their previous limited overs outings in the recent past, Pakistan hammered England – the World T20 championship finalists – by nine wickets at Old Trafford in their one-off T20 game on September 7.
Skipper sarfraz Ahmed, for whom the Manchester win marked a successful captaincy debut, would be hoping to unleash similar firepower against the Caribbean side which appears weakened in the absence of two key players – Chris Gayle and Andre Russell.
The Pakistanis will be banking on the likes of big-hitting opener Sharjeel Khan and comeback batsman Umar Akmal on what is expected to be a batting wicket at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium tonight.
Meanwhile, the tourists are preparing to unveil three new stars in the T20I series. Topping that list is Kesrick Williams, a lively fast bowler, from the tiny island of St Vincent, who announced himself in the Caribbean Premier League as one of the leading wicket-takers to help Jamaica Tallawahs win the title for the second time. He has been called up as a replacement for Andre Russell.
“Yeah it’s really fantastic to be called up for the West Indies team, it’s something that every young man would dream about to play international cricket. It’s certainly a pleasure, I’m ready to go, hungry for it and determination is there. I’m just ready to go out there and execute and perform,” Williams said.
Next on the list is Nicholas Pooran, a strongly built wicket-keeper batsman from Trinidad, who is still on the mend following a career-threatening accident two years ago. He was one of the leading players in the Caribbean Premier League, playing brilliantly for the Barbados Tridents.
The third offering from the West Indies is a talented all-rounder Rovman Powell who has modelled himself on Andre Russell, with powerful batting and as a brisk medium-pacer. A relative unknown until a year ago, he burst onto the scene during this year’s Caribbean Premier League, with some match-winning performances for Jamaica Tallawahs.
However, a big chunk from the core squad that won the World T20 in India earlier this year is missing as which gives Pakistan an advantage.
But the visitors won’t just roll over. All-rounders Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard are the masters of the T20 game while Marlon Samuels has a long history of turning a match on its head.
The one aspect which the ‘hosts’ must be wary of is the spin threat of Samuel Badree and Sunil Narine. The two are the most dangerous limited overs spin attack in the world and if Pakistan can safely negotiate them, the coast should be clear from there.
In batting, Pakistan don’t have enough firepower, but Sarfraz Ahmed’s calmness in a team filled with mercurial batsmen stands out. They also welcome back their highest run-getter in T20Is - Umar Akmal (1689 runs at a strike rate of 122.92). They showed some late sparks on the trip to the UK, but it remains to be seen if they can they convert it into a proper white-ball revival.
Pakistan’s bowlers have experience on their side and with some big hitting Windies batsmen missing, the likes of left-arm quicks Wahab Riaz and Sohail Tanvir should look to assert themselves.
Pakistan have lost seven out of 12 T20Is in 2016. West Indies, meanwhile, have lost only one of eight T20Is this year.
