Pakistan would be hoping for a third
consecutive win against the West Indies as the One Day International
(ODI) series moves to Kensington Oval in Barbados. The tourists have
been in top form and won the first two matches with comfort and ease,
through a combined effort by both batsmen and bowlers.
After losing the one-off T20 match at St. Lucia, Shahid Afridi’s men bounced back to thrash the hosts in the 50 overs format.
Thus far in the series the Pakistani spinners
have reigned supreme, the trio of Shahid Afridi, Saeed Ajmal, and,
Mohammad Hafeez, has taken wickets and squeezed the batsmen for runs and
would once again be the mainstays for their team.
However, the West Indian would breathe a sigh
of relief, as the wicket for the match is expected to suit faster
bowlers, which means that the spinners’ threat would be considerably
reduced.
The West Indian captain, Darren Sammy, stated
after the defeat in the second ODI that his team had fought all the way
despite having a poor total to defend, he gave credit to his bowlers and
fielders, who hung in till the very end of the match and hopes that
they would be able to score a win and finish the job at Barbados.
"We weren't rolled over. We kept ourselves in
the matches right to the finish. There were moments when things could
have gone either way, but we didn't make it happen", Sammy stated.
The West Indians are expected to retain the
same eleven that played in the last match, the new recruit spinner,
Anthony Martin, was impressive and contained the Pakistani batsmen with
his faster ones and short of length deliveries that were hurrying onto
the batsmen.
The rest of the bowling attack has a big job
to do, as other than leg spinner, Devendra Bishoo, none of the bowlers
has succeeded in dismissing a batsman.
In the last three games between the two teams
the West Indians have snared a mere 5 wickets and the tally includes one
run out, the remaining four wickets have been taken by Bishoo.
Pakistan won the World Cup quarter final at Mirpur by 10 wickets, while in St.Lucia the Men in Green
won by 8 wickets and 7 wickets. The batsmen have feasted on the bowling
with the out of sorts, Ahmed Shehzad, also returning to form with a
patient hundred in the second match of the series, the Lahore based
opener was elated with his innings and gave credit to his captain for
persisting with him despite his recent wretched run of form.
"I would like to thank my team management for
the way they have supported me. Shahid is the man to follow. He is
giving confidence to every single individual - I think it is amazing",
Ahmed stated.
The following elevens are expected to take the field today at Barbados.
West Indies (possible): 1 Devon Smith, 2 Lendl Simmons, 3 Darren Bravo, 4 Marlon Samuels, 5 Kirk Edwards, 6 Dwayne Bravo, 7 Carlton Baugh (wk), 8 Darren Sammy (capt), 9 Devendra Bishoo, 10 Kemar Roach, 11 Anthony Martin
Pakistan played the same XI in both games, and
with the results they've had, there is no need to change it as they
push for a series win.
Pakistan (possible): 1 Ahmed Shehzad, 2 Mohammad Hafeez, 3 Asad Shafiq, 4 Misbah-ul-Haq, 5 Umar Akmal, 6 Hammad Azam, 7 Mohammad Salman (wk), 8 Shahid Afridi (capt), 9 Wahab Riaz, 10 Junaid Khan, 11 Saeed Ajmal
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