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West Indies
Pakistan
West Indies will begin their T20I series against Pakistan with the opening match at Lauderhill. After back-to-back whitewash defeats against Australia in both Tests and T20Is, the hosts will aim for a fresh start in familiar conditions. They will be keen to bounce back in the shortest format, where their power-hitting can still cause damage.Β
Shai Hope will most likely lead the West Indies again in this series. Despite the recent poor form, the team showed some spark with the bat in the Australia T20Is. Meanwhile, Pakistan will be led by Salman Agha and will enter the series with better recent results.
Pakistan have won 3 of their last 5 T20Is, while West Indies has lost all 5. In their previous 5 T20I meetings, Pakistan have 3 wins, and the other 2 were washed out. The visitors will look to continue that dominance in this series opener.
Pakistan have four solid pacers in Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali and Naseem Shah, who will likely dominate on a pace-friendly pitch at Lauderhill.
The betting tip is...
Top Bowlerβs Team - Pakistan
60 %
40 %
West IndiesPakistanShai Hope will lead the West Indies in this T20I series after finishing as their top scorer against Australia with 185 runs, including a century and a fifty. He had batted with a strike rate of over 149 and an average of 46.25. Brandon King will support him at the top, having scored 160 runs at a strike rate of 155.33 with 2 fifties.
Shimron Hetmyer will return in the middle order with 129 runs at a strike rate of 179.16. Rutherford and Chase will also boost the run rate, having scored at 162 and 155 strike rates respectively. Jason Holder will lead the bowling unit with 7 wickets in 5 matches. Akeal Hosein and Alzarri Joseph will support him with 5 wickets each.
Romario Shepherd and Sherfane Rutherford will remain crucial in both departments. West Indies will focus on improving their bowling from the last series.
Holder, Joseph and Shepherd are the key bowlers.
Predicted Lineup: Brandon King, Shai Hope (c, wk), Roston Chase, Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd, Jason Holder, Gudakesh Motie, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph
Shaheen Afridi will return to the T20I setup for Pakistan as they prepare to face West Indies. Uncapped batter Hasan Nawaz will receive his maiden T20I call-up. Hasan Ali will also return to the squad, boosting the pace unit. Pakistan will feature a strong bowling lineup including Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, and Hasan Ali.
Salman Agha will lead the team and continue as an all-round option. Mohammad Nawaz and Hussain Talat will retain their places, while Salman Mirza and Abbas Afridi have been dropped from the previous squad. Pakistan have named a solid mix of experience and youth for this series.
Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam will be part of the ODI squad, while Shaheen Afridi will feature in both formats.
Afridi, Rauf and Naseem are the key bowlers.
Predicted Lineup: Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, Hasan Nawaz, Salman Agha (c), Mohammad Haris (wk), Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali/Naseem Shah
Pakistan will go into the first T20I with a strong pace attack that is likely to dominate on the Lauderhill pitch. With Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali and Naseem Shah in the lineup, their bowling unit looks well equipped to exploit any early movement and put pressure on the West Indies top order.Β
West Indies struggled to build partnerships against Australia and failed to handle their bowling pressure. That trend may continue here, given Pakistanβs quality bowling unit. Hasan Ali has taken 8 wickets in his last 3 matches, while Rauf has 9 in his last 6 matches.Β
With this bowling lineup, Pakistan will control key phases of the game via their lethal bowling and tilt the match in their favour.
