Hosts West Indies will take on Pakistan in the five-match One Day Internationals (ODI) bilateral series 2013. The opening match will be played at Providence Stadium, Guyana on Sunday.
Overview:
Both the teams come into the contest after dismal performance in the recent outings.
West Indies failed to qualify for the Champions Trophy semi-final before being knocked out of the Tri-series featuring India and Sri Lanka. They missed the final spot to Sri Lanka on net run rate difference. But having won two of three matches played in the Tri-series at home, they will be keen to make good use of their home ground when they take on Pakistan.
Pakistan had a forgettable outing in the recent Champions Trophy in England. They received lots of flak from home after losing all the matches played in the tournament. Bilateral series in West Indies is crucial as some of them could face the axe if they fail. They will come into the contest knowing that their fans back home will forget their past debacles if they win the series.
Previous Meetings:
West Indies have 67-52 win-loss, two tied record against Pakistan out of 120 matches played between the countries. West Indies their last encounter at Champions Trophy by two wickets.
Team News:
West Indies: They have retained the Tri-series squad that played against India and Sri Lanka for the bilateral series against Pakistan except wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin who was dropped from the first two ODIs. Fast bowler Ravi Rampaul is also sidelined. They have Chris Gayle, Johnson Charles, Kieron Pollard, Marlon Samuels, and Devon Smith in the batting line-up.
On the bowling front, they have Sunil Narine, Kemar Roach, Ravi Rampaul, Darren Bravo and Darren Sammy.
Pakistan: They have made some changes to the squad that played in the Champions league. Wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal, former skipper Shoaib Malik and opener Imran Farhat have been replaced by all-rounder Shahid Afridi, Umar Akmal and Ahmed Shahzad. They have Nasir Jamshed, Mohammad Hafeez, Asad Shafiq and Misbah-ul-Haq in the batting line-up apart from the players who have been included in the team.
On the bowling front, they have Junaid Khan, Asad Ali, Ehsan Adil, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Hafeez and Abdur Rehman.
Prediction:
West Indies are the favourites to win on Sunday.
Squads:
West Indies: Dwayne Bravo (captain), Tino Best, Darren Bravo, Johnson Charles, Chris Gayle, Jason Holder, Sunil Narine, Kieron Pollard, Kemar Roach, Darren Sammy, Marlon Samuels, Lendl Simmons, Devon Smith
Pakistan: Misbah-ul-Haq (Captain), Abdur Rehman, Asad Ali, Asad Shafiq, Ehsan Adil, Ahmed Shahzad, Junaid Khan, Umar Akmal, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Irfan, Nasir Jamshed, Saeed Ajmal, Shahid Afridi, Umar Amin, Wahab Riaz
Where to Watch Live:
The game will begin at 07:00 PM IST (Sunday, 14 July) and it will be broadcast live in India on Ten Cricket.
