West Indies to battle Pakistan in 3-match ODI series as International cricket returns to Multan after 14 years

Pakistan`s captain Babar Azam (L) and his West Indies` counterpart Nicholas Pooran pose with the one-day international (ODI) series trophy. Pic/ AFP

There's no rest for the weary as West Indies face off against Pakistan on 8th June, just days after whitewashing the Netherlands in a 3-match ODI series. After much debate regarding the venue, a last minute decision was made to play the 3-match series at Multan Cricket Stadium instead of Rawalpindi. This will be after a gap of more than 14 years that international cricket is returning to the venue with Bangladesh having played here in April 2008.

There will be 30 super league points for the taking (10 for each win). West Indies currently find themselves in 4th position with 80 points from 18 games while Pakistan are in 10th place with 60 points from 12 games.

The much awaited series was supposed to begin at the end of last year in December. However, a COVID outbreak in the West Indies camp was the cause for its postponement.

Unlike the men in maroon, Pakistan haven't played an ODI game since the start of April. However, during their last series against Australia, they beat the 5-time ODI world champions 2-1 across 3 games. The likes of Imam-ul-Haq (298), Babar Azam (276) and Shaheen Afridi (6 wickets) were in phenomenal form, topping the batting and bowling charts respectively.

In the West Indies camp, Shai Hope, Kyle Mayers, Shamarh Brooks and Brandon King made a huge impact with the bat in their recent ODI series. On the bowling side, it was left arm finger spinner Akeal Hosein who stole the show with 8 wickets.

However, newly appointed ODI captain Nicholas Pooran's form remains a concern. The destructive middle order batsman managed a paltry return of 24 runs with a highest score of 10.

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The other major talking point about the series is the conditions, particularly the extreme heat in Pakistan at this time of the year when temperatures soar well above 40 degrees. However, to combat this concern, the matches will begin at 4pm local time.

Speaking about the conditions, West Indies' coach Phil Simmons said, "The heat is going to be extreme, (but) Pakistan are playing in the heat, too, so it's going to be an even contest when we start the day. How we deal with it before, during and after is going to help us a lot."

The last time these two sides met in an ODI series was back in 2016. The series was played in the UAE and ended with Pakistan thrashing West Indies across the 3 matches. Current Pakistan captain Babar Azam was the star of that series scoring 3 back-to-back centuries.

Ahead of the series Azam said, ""This is an important series for us as it holds important Super League points. The players have been putting in a lot of effort to prepare themselves for the West Indies challenge and we are eager to win another series and bag maximum points to consolidate our chances for direct qualification in the 2023 World Cup."

Squads:

Pakistan: Babar Azam (c), Shadab Khan, Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imam-ul-Haq, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shahnawaz Dahani, Zahid Mahmood.

West Indies: Nicholas Pooran (c), Shai Hope, Nkrumah Bonner, Shamarh Brooks, Keacy Carty, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Brandon King, Shermon Lewis, Kyle Mayers, Keemo Paul, Anderson Phillip, Rovman Powell, Jayden Seales, Romario Shepherd, Hayden Walsh Jr.

(with agency inputs)