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Pakistan has won just one of the 3 T20I matches played between West Indies and Pakistan while the rain has won the other two, which means Pakistan leads the T20I series 1-0 as hosts are yet to show their power against green shirts. After beating Australia by 4-1, West Indies were considered to be the hot favorites for the series against Pakistan but visitors have proved more skillful and dangerous with the ball than the Kangaroos.
3rd T20 Washed Out
When the first of the one-game-shortened-4 matches-T20I series was washed out by the rain in Barbados, media came up with more disappointing news as the weather forecast in Guyana was going to be worst than Barbados. Showers were predicted and in quite frequent numbers, putting the results and series in uncertainty.
The first game went smoothly as rain interrupted the match for a short time and proved ineffective on the course of the match. Yesterday, when both captains got ready to spin the coin, rain delayed the toss and play. When the match started with a delay of 15 minutes, a 6 minutes play could be possible as the rain continued for another hour and a half.
An inspection 17 minutes before the cut-off time went disappointing for the fans as umpires and both captains agreed on a no result. Andre Fletcher had hitten 2 balls for sixes in the 8 balls play, one each against Hafeez and Wasim. When the rain interrupted the play, the hosts were 15/0 in 1.2 overs. Earlier, Pollard had decided to bat first after winning the toss.
Why Pakistan leads the series?
A 7 runs victory over West Indies gave Pakistan a lead of 1-0 over the hosts. On a Saturday game, West Indian skipper Kieron Pollard won the toss and elected to ball first against an out-of-form Pakistan. The result was surprising for many cricket experts while the way Pakistan out-played hosts, perhaps, would be outrageous for the West Indian cricket.
Hosts played a brand of T20I cricket which mainly focuses on one-dimensional Batting; focused on power hitting. Pakistani bowlers made full use of the conditions as the ball was spinning and swinging, adding to the difficulties of the likes of Gayle, Pollard, and Hetmyer. Earlier, West Indies had played 30 dot balls in the first T20I, which had become a 9 overs game after rain affected the course of the game. Hosts scored under the par score in a 9 overs game.
Who are favorites for the series victory?
West Indies dominate on batting-friendly wickets while Pakistan would love pitches where the ball would spin, turn and grip. Hosts played in the hands of green shirts in the 2nd T20I at Guyana. If a similar pitch and conditions will be witnessed in the last T20I, West Indies are going to be nowhere in the game.
The reason is that Pakistan plays well against spinners. Although sometimes batsmen chock on the day overall, Pakistan doesn’t have a spin problem. Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan are in their forms of lives. Both play as anchors and have developed the ability to find boundaries at regular intervals.
On the other hand, West Indies are mainly focused on power hitting and they love to hit sixes. It increases the bids of international franchises for Caribbean players but doesn’t decrease the worries of Phil Simmons, West Indies head coach, who is in the finding of another Marlon Samuels because without building the inning and taking the game deep, you can’t hope to win in difficult conditions, not at least in UAE.
This is why pitch and conditions will have to be analyzed. On a spin-friendly track, Pakistan is the favorite to win against West Indies on any day.
