The last time Pakistan played a T20I in Lauderhill, Florida, they were still nursing their bruises of an early T20 World Cup exit. A year on, when they gear up to play at the venue again, the view is frustratingly similar. Fresh off a 2-1 series loss to Bangladesh, Pakistan have only managed eight wins in 21 games since that last Lauderhill appearance. If the numbers dont already terrorize you, toss in the fact that Pakistan have endured defeats against – in addition to Bangladesh – Ireland and Zimbabwe.
For all of Pakistan’s worries, they still look mildly redeemable next to a West Indies side that has long been drifted past what was once their all-time low. Since the T20 World Cup last year, they have only won six out of 29 games, three of those wins came against a somewhat depleted South African team, and one versus Ireland. Like Pakistan, they are also coming off a series defeat, a 5-0 no less, against Australia at home. This does look ugly. But uglier is the fact that the next edition of the T20 World Cup is creeping up fast. A redemption arc is only as good as its relevant, and if Pakistan and West Indies hope to not stay at the lower cadre for long, they might start the remedial work as soon as they can.
Team Overview:
Injuries forced West Indies to make three changes to their squad that played Australia last week. Shamar Joseph, Alick Athanaze, and Johnson Charles come in for Alzarri Joseph, Brandon King, and Shimron Hetmyer.
The headline absence, however, is Brandon King, who had been one of West Indies’ only bright spots during the Australia series but pulled up with a side strain in the final game at Basseterre. Hetmyer joined him with the same issue. The pair scored nearly half of West Indies’ runs in the five-match series.
Johnson Charles is likely to replace King at the top. Alick Athanaze, meanwhile, could slot in for Hetmyer’s middle-order spot. West Indies have now used 29 players in the format since last year’s T20 World Cup, which is raising questions about the direction their rebuild is taking.
Pakistan have called back Shaheen Shah Afridi as well as Hasan Ali to bolster their bowling attack. The pair has been included at the expense of Salman Mirza and Abbas Afridi, both of whom were decent with the ball against Bangladesh. Besides them, Haris Rauf has also recovered to find his way back into the squad. The top order is expected to stay the same, though Sahibzada Farhan now has more impactful runs backing his case, having scored 63 off 41 balls in the last T20I against Bangladesh.
Hassan Nawaz, who was retained for the series despite the tumultuous start he has had in the format, might stick in as Pakistan’s No. 4. Fakhar Zaman, who couldn’t get Dhaka’s unresponsive pitches to weave magic for him, will be licking his lips to get another chance to carry on his pre-injury explosive form.
Head-to-Head Matches:
Out of 21 matches that the two teams have played against each other, Pakistan have won 15, while three of the remaining six were won by West Indies. The other three ended without any result.
Weather and Pitch Report:
It’s been a hot few days in Lauderhill, which is rare for the city to behave like on days with a cricket game. This could also be one of the reasons behind the low ticket turnaround The boundaries are short at the venue, which should help both teams tick off high scores. Hot days and cooler evenings could bring in the dew factor, which might make the toss-winning captain opt to bat second.
Prediction:
Pakistan do not have it all figured out for themselves, but when placed against West Indies, they have a higher chance of getting over the line.
Where to Watch:
West Indies: ESPN, Disney+
Pakistan: Tapmad
India: Fancode
USA: ESPN+
