West Indies tour: Pakistan kick off campaign

Today will be the first time the two sides meet in a Twenty20.

ST LUCIA:

It will the first time that Pakistan and West Indies face each other in the Twenty20 format with the hosts looking to salvage pride after a humiliating 10-wicket loss against the same opposition who knocked them out of the World Cup a month ago.

For Pakistan, the solitary Twenty20 will act as a precursor for the remaining series that consists of five One-Day Internationals and two Tests.

Experimenting with
youngsters

With both countries choosing to inject young blood, Pakistan will still be favourites to win after riding high on reaching the semi-finals of the World Cup. Captain Shahid Afridi has promised an improved batting performance on his part and team manager Intikhab Alam labelled Umar Akmal as the ‘entertainment package’.

However, the absence of all-rounder Abdul Razzaq and former captain Younus Khan might give West Indies some confidence, who have left out Chris Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul from their squad.

Wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal was also omitted and while West Indies will not be sure whether it’s good or bad news, new inductee Mohammad Salman gets a chance to prove his worth.

Pakistan earn good
match practice

The visitors’ performance in the only warm-up game, against University of West Indies Vice Chancellor’s XI, was impressive. Opener Mohammad Hafeez, who also led the side, carried on with his good form and scored a century before retiring. Umar anchored the middle-order and the bowlers all played a role as Pakistan cruised to a 68-run win.

But as is always the case, the mercurial Pakistan will need to be disciplined and Alam pointed the consistency factor out while also labelling the tour as a chance for the inexperienced players to make a name for themselves.

Past performance
matters little

If Pakistan fans are ruing the team’s Twenty20 performance in the past 12 months where they have fared poorly – winning six and losing 12 games – West Indies’ showing in 2010 left a lot to be desired. The hosts played 10 matches and won just three including the victory against minnows Ireland.

However, with both teams regrouping after the World Cup and experimenting with new players, the past will count for little.

WI looking for inspiration

The hosts, in a bid to improve their miserable batting show, hired former player Desmond Haynes as the team’s batting consultant for the home series. He will work under head coach Ottis Gibson while Pakistan – whose batting has always been a worry – failed to get the services of Javed Miandad after the former captain declined the role.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 21^st, 2011.