Buoyant Pakistan seeking knockout against deflated Windies

Brighto Paints presents Q Mobile Cup Series…

Abuoyant Pakistan team with an unassailable 2-0 lead really demonstrates their prowess so far in this four-match T20 series against West Indies and must be psychologically advantageous for the third fixture today at the Queen’s Park, Oval, Trinidad and Tobago.

The visitors started off in clinical fashion surging to a comfortable six-wicket win in the low-scoring opener at the Kensington Oval, Barbados and, despite making only 132 in the second game at the Queen’s Park Oval, they were able to limit the West Indians.

They subsequently emerged with a thrilling three-run triumph, again thanks to some splendid bowling performances from 18-year-old leg-spinner Shadab Khan who had a dream spell on debut in the previous match.

What had transpired in these two matches, certainly espouses the talent that Pakistan have and particularly this version.

Their skipper Ahmed Sarfraz commented at the post-match presentation ceremony that the efforts have been very collective and not his astute leadership alone.

Pakistan, with their winning momentum especially against the T20 world Cup Champion West Indies will obviously begin proceedings today as firm favourites.

Apart from the successful Khan, the bowling will still have the sting of settled fast-bowlers Sohail Tanvir, Wahab Riaz and Hasan Ali, all capable of making early inroads on a pitch that is expected to be very animated again making runs hard to come by.

Their batting will certainly centre round the experienced and inform Shoaib Malik whose batting gained tremendous maturity in this exhilarating format. Malik scored two vital innings of 38 not out and 28 while several seasoned batsmen have shown hints of big innings.

Pakistan’s top order was ordinary yet again, but with no obvious replacements, they may stick to the same eleven that edged the second game in Trinidad. However, replacing Kamran Akmal with Mohammad Hafeez might be a possibility, if only for the extra bowling option he gives them.

West Indies didn’t make any changes after a dismal performance in the first game, so they are likely to stick with the side that so significantly improved four days later. The only question mark may be over the inclusion of Rovman Powell, who fell for a first-ball duck, with Jason Mohammad a possible replacement.

The home team may be getting anxious to avoid another whitewash at the hands of the Pakistanis who won three in a row late last year in Dubai.

Some encouraging performances according to their head-coach Stuart Law who told the media that they need to move on.

“We [are] working extremely hard in every area, just the results are not there but we have to be persevering and determined to get past the Pakistani; we have seen lots of improvements too especially in the bowling department while the catching was superb but just the fielding was a little poor but we are learning from our mistakes,” stated the Australian Law.

In Barbados, West Indies only managed an insufficient 111 with only skipper Carlos Brathwaite getting a considerably high score (34*) while one of their most experienced batsmen Marlon Samuel displayed rich form with an entertaining 44 in Trinidad and Tobago.

“Great effort from Marlon in this game, and I am confident the other batters will come to the fore; we have continued to work hard and I am very optimistic the side will bounce back in the next match,” Law pointed-out after the second defeat.

Pugnacious middle-order batsman Keiron Pollard and another T20 specialist Lendl Simmons have not made an impression as yet and may have caused West Indies to be on the back-burner of the series.

The opening pair of Chadwick Walton and Evin Lewis promised with their brief starts but have not been able to carry on against the Pakistan’s much-vaunted bowling attack. The low-scoring affairs so far continued and this penultimate engagement is promising to be riveting alluding to the fact the Caribbean boys will be anxious to lift their game with a much-needed victory to save themselves total humiliation of a whitewash.

Law spoke greatly of the bowling which manifested well with the low restriction of two those scores. Mystery off-spinner Sunil Narine has been in terrific form and not only bowled economically but grabbed important wickets while his Trinidadian compatriot and leg-spinner Samuel Badree in good touch as well.

Pacers Jason Holder, Kesrick Williams and Brathwaite have bowled reasonably well and more penetration is essentially important for them to help sustain the scoring against some of these quality T20 batsmen.

The pitch at the Queen’s Park Oval, as was witnessed during the second T20, is expected to favour the slow bowlers and offer plenty of turn. There is cloud cover expected in the evening, which might offer movement to the faster bowlers, but no rain. The first ball is at 12:30h.