The opening match held at Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, in Barbados, got called off due to rain. The game was first reduced to nine overs per side, in which the hosts managed to score 85 runs for the loss of five wickets. Skipper Kieron Pollard was their highest scorer with unbeaten 22 runs off 9 balls. However, the visitors couldn’t come to bat because of the rain and the match was abandoned.
The home team struggled in the batting department and would surely try to rectify the errors when they walk in to play the second game. On the other hand, the touring party will be hoping to replicate the similar bowling display and make the most of the conditions.
Pitch report:
The pitch in Guyana doesn’t offer much help to batters, especially in the shortest format. The average score in T20Is here is under 140 in seven matches. A similar trend is expected to be continued in the upcoming fixture.
Playing Combination:
West Indies
Although the batting unit of Windies struggled in the series opener but it isn’t easy to know the real potential of batters in a nine-over game. Therefore, it is highly unlikely that West Indies would change their playing XI.
WI XI: Kieron Pollard (c), Lendl Simmons, Evin Lewis, Chris Gayle, Shimron Hetmyer, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Andre Russell, Jason Holder, Dwayne Bravo, Hayden Walsh, Akeal Hosein
Pakistan
Pakistan’s batting wasn’t tested, and bowling did impress on all corners. So, Babar Azam might also field the same XI that featured in the opening match.
PAK XI: Babar Azam (c), Sharjeel Khan, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Hafeez, Fakhar Zaman, Azam Khan, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Shaheen Afridi, Usman Qadir
Match Prediction:
Case 1:
- West Indies win the toss and bowl first
- Pakistan Powerplay score: 40-50
- Pakistan Total: 150-165
Case 2:
- Pakistan win the toss and bowl first
- West Indies Powerplay score: 35-45
- West Indies Total: 140-155
Pakistan to win the contest.
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