Historic pink-ball Test opportunity for Windies turnaround
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (CMC) — Whitewashed in the preceding Twenty20 and One-Day series, and heavily criticised for their plethora of weak performances, West Indies face the Herculean task of rescuing a tour in crisis when they clash with Pakistan in the historic day/night first Test starting here today.
The Caribbean side were a shadow of themselves in the three-match T20 series where they were heavily favoured and where brushed aside 0-3 by Pakistan, and a similar series result followed in the ODI series where they were distinctly second best to the hosts in all departments.
However, with the tour flirting perilously with disaster, West Indies have been presented with the ideal opportunity to halt the rut.
They are coming off a 0-2 defeat in the four-Test series against India in the Caribbean, but under-pressure Captain Jason Holder told a media conference here Wednesday the series was a chance to press the reset button.
“Obviously, it is a young team and we obviously went down to India in our last series, but it is a fresh series here,” the all-rounder said.
West Indies enter the contest at the Dubai International Stadium on the back of pretty ordinary Test form. In 15 Tests over the last two years, West Indies have won a single game — against England in the Caribbean last year — and have lost 10 of those contests.
The majority of these defeats have been heavy ones, with three by innings margins, another three by over 150 runs, and another three by eight wickets or more.
Pakistan enter the series with the edge, having won six of their last 12 outings against West Indies in the last 16 years and lost just three.
The Test will be the first with the pink ball under lights for either team and Holder said the Windies were looking forward to the spectacle.
The Test bowls off at 3:30 pm (7:30 pm Eastern Caribbean time).
Squads:
Pakistan – Misbah-ul-Haq (captain), Azhar Ali, Sami Aslam, Asad Shafiq, Babar Azam, Sarfraz Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Amir, Wahab Riaz, Yasir Shah, Zulfiqar Babar, Rahat Ali, Sohail Khan, Imran Khan.
West Indies – Jason Holder (captain), Kraigg Brathwaite, Devendra Bishoo, Jermaine Blackwood, Carlos Brathwaite, Darren Bravo, Roston Chase, Miguel Cummins, Shane Dowrich, Shannon Gabriel, Shai Hope, Leon Johnson, Alzarri Joseph, Marlon Samuels, Jomel Warrican.
