West Indies were whitewashed 3-0 in the T20I series and Tanvir believes Azhar should look to take advantage of the visitors being low on confidence. PHOTO: AFP
KARACHI: After a historic clean sweep victory in the T20I series, Pakistan take on the West Indies in the first of their three-match ODI series at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium today.
The series is vital for captain Azhar Ali’s future at the helm of the ODI outfit and mirroring the 3-0 T20I whitewash will be a top priority for the team as they look to improve their ICC ODI rankings.
Confused state of Pakistan ODI cricket
A 3-0 win will give Pakistan enough points to replace West Indies at number eight, a spot above their current number nine standing.
The match today is set to be the 128th ODI between the two teams, with Pakistan having won 55 while the West Indians have emerged winners in 69 games. In the UAE, the two teams have clashed 22 times with Pakistan winning 12 and West Indians collecting nine wins.
Left-arm pacer Sohail Tanvir, who played a vital role in the T20I triumph with his canny new ball and death bowling, believes the ODI team has the potential to blank West Indies provided that they sustain the momentum and play the series with the same aggressive mindset.
Speaking to The Express Tribune, Tanvir stressed on employing a positive style of cricket in the ODI format.
“We need to be positive in our game plan,” he said. “The West Indians are obviously low on confidence after our remarkable performance in the T20Is where Sarfraz Ahmed led the team with real aggression. I hope Azhar carries the momentum and we continue to play the brand of cricket which gave us great results in the shortest format.”
‘ODIs extended version of T20Is’
Tanvir believes new rules and regulations in ODI cricket have made the format almost an extended version of the shortest format. He feels that the players need to back their instincts and impose their presence on the opposition.
“The tweaks in the regulations have made ODI cricket really tough for bowlers,” said the left-armer. “The batsmen are always looking to score runs and the format is now an extended version of T20Is. The successful teams in 50-over cricket never take a backwards step; the conditions in the UAE suit our style of play and there is no reason for us to suppress our style.”
Pakistan likely to field spin-oriented attack
The Sharjah track for the opening match is expected to help spinners and Pakistan are likely to field up to three spinners besides off-spinning all-rounder Shoaib Malik in the playing eleven today.
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T20I man-of-the-series Imad Wasim is once again likely to take the new ball, while fellow left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz and leg-spinner Yasir Shah can also be included if Pakistan opt to play just a pair of pace bowlers, especially considering the visitors’ perennial weakness against top-quality spin bowling.
Yasir was off-colour in the ODIs against England but the UAE pitches are likely to afford him a lot more assistance.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 30th, 2016.
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