Pakistan look to bounce back against West Indies in 2nd ODI today
GUYANA (92 News) – The West Indies will be looking to continue its march towards an automatic 2019 World Cup qualification spot and a series win at home when it takes on Pakistan in the second ODI on Sunday in Guyana.
The first match, on Friday, was one of firsts for both teams: it was the first time the home team chased down a total of 300 or more after 21 failed attempts, while Pakistan failed to defend a total of 300 or more outside the Indian subcontinent for the first time.
Sarfraz Ahmed's first match as Pakistan's full-time ODI captain didn’t quite go his way as Jason Mohammed stole the show. With the second match being held at the same venue, it might not see much difference in the way the pitch plays out, supporting attacking batsmen.
A major factor in Jason being able to revive the West Indies innings from 158 for 4 was the way Sarfraz rotated his bowlers. Shadab Khan performed admirably on ODI debut, carrying forward his performance from the T20Is, picking up 2 for 52 in nine overs, but more importantly, he was able to control the explosive batting from Jason.
But while the batsmen carefully negotiated Shadab, they were able to knock boundaries off the fast bowlers. One possibility for Pakistan could be to pick an extra spinner to support Shadab and share the overs with Mohammad Hafeez and Shoaib Malik, both part-timers with economy rates below 5 runs per over. Jason indicated after the match that it was the plan to target the pacers, something Pakistan will have to look out for, especially in the last ten overs.
“Disappointed that we couldn’t close it out,” said Mickey Arthur, the Pakistan coach. “Some of our main bowlers fell below the mark. Our spinners did a decent job. They bowled well and controlled the game for us.”
The top order will need to do their bit. Evin Lewis, Kieran Powell and Shai Hope all got starts but failed to continue. The West Indies bowlers will also have to show more penetration, as besides Nurse and Holder, the others weren't so successful.
Both teams will be ready for a hard-fought second match and nothing less than a perfect outing from either will do.
“I don’t think momentum counts for that much,” said Arthur, insisting that his side would bounce back. “Confidence is a factor. West Indies played extremely well and their confidence must be up, and deservedly so. We’ve got some thinking to do, and we’ll come back stronger.”
Teams (from):
Pakistan: Sarfraz Ahmed (capt, wk), Ahmed Shehzad, Asif Zakir, Babar Azam, Fahim Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Hasan Ali, Imad Wasim, Junaid Khan, Kamran Akmal, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Asghar, Mohammad Hafeez, Shadab Khan, Shoaib Malik, Wahab Riaz.
West Indies: Jason Holder (capt), Devendra Bishoo, Jonathan Carter, Miguel Cummins, Shannon Gabriel, Shai Hope, Alzarri Joseph, Evin Lewis, Jason Mohammed, Ashley Nurse, Kieran Powell, Rovman Powell, Chadwick Walton.
