West Indies-Pakistan T20Is: Different series, different atmosphere

By Brandon Corlette

A completely different atmosphere. That is the description of the three West Indies and Pakistan T20 International matches at the Guyana National Stadium at Providence.

The few local media personnel covered the games from the stands

The COVID-19 protocols being observed made the atmosphere different; the rain also made it different, to an extent; and from the media’s perspective, it was a new way of watching and covering the games from the stands, and not from the comfort of the media box.
While the media had hopes of being accredited for covering the games, those hopes were crushed only at the morning of the second T20 International, which was played on Saturday July 31.

Spotted in the stands: Former West Indies leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo

This International series was also the first for the new Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) led by Bissoondyal Singh.
West Indies and Pakistan were set to play five T20I matches, but owing to a COVID-19 setback in Barbados, the series was reduced to four. Three of those four matches were called off due to rain, one in Barbados and two in Guyana.
Ironically, the day after the final match at Providence, the rain went away as the players departed for Jamaica for the upcoming Test series.
The one completed match played in Guyana saw Pakistan winning by seven runs, after posting a par total on a slow Providence wicket. Despite being on course for an unusually big total in international cricket at Providence, Pakistan were restricted to 157-8, with Babar Azam and Mohammed Rizwan being among the runs.

The grounds men were busy at work

West Indies, in an innings with 47 dot balls, replied with 150-4, with Nicholas Pooran scoring his career best 62. With all the ‘big talk’ about Providence being a 170-180 track, that has not yet been seen. Even the players shared different sentiments about the surface. Pooran himself described the pitch as tough, low, and inconsistent.
Historically, the Providence pitch is slow and hard for batsmen, especially in T20 International cricket. The highest team total at Providence came in March 2010 with England scoring 191-5 against the West Indies. The second highest team total is 173-7, scored by Sri Lanka, while Pakistan’s 157-8 in that recent second T20I was the third highest team total.
West Indies’ highest T20 total at Providence is 150-4, which came in that same match. Historically, the National Stadium at Providence is not a happy hunting ground for the men in maroon, but in CPL, team scores are on the higher side.
Despite all the difference in atmosphere during this series, the build-up to these matches at Providence was high, with the relevant authorities and fans sharing exciting sentiments to see international cricket return to Providence for the first time since 2019. What’s next for cricket at Providence? Time alone will tell.