West Indies vs. Pakistan – A preview

21.APR.11

The West Indies begin their sixth home series against the touring Pakistani cricketers with a T 20 match and two one-day internationals (ODIs) in St. Lucia this week. Though the West Indies first entered the international Test fold 83 years ago, it took 30 years after their first Test before Pakistan became an opponent, touring the Caribbean in early 1958.{{more}} That series will be forever etched in the annals of Caribbean cricket, for it was the ‘Sobers’ series, the young left-hander stamping his class on the world stage with a phenomenal series tally of 824 runs from 8 innings, including three centuries, two of them in the same match, and three fifties. His first-ever Test hundred came at Sabina Park in Jamaica, and what an innings it turned out to be! No less than a world-record score of 365 not out, a record that was to last for almost forty years until broken by another West Indian left-hander, Brian Lara, against England in 1994.

That inaugural West Indies/Pakistan series featured a number of other fine batting performances, including another triple-century by a Pakistani batter, the legendary opener Hanif Mohammed. Subsequent series have not been so prolific for batsmen, on either side. Indeed, the history of the matches between these two teams has been one of close series. It has only been the decline of Caribbean cricket in the last 15 years or so that Pakistan has gained a clear ascendancy. This has enabled it to edge ahead in the overall number of victories, leading the West Indies by 15 to 14, with another 15 drawn. Will this series continue the trend of being keenly contested?

The teams will first meet in a T20 match on Thursday of this week. Amazingly, it will be the first such encounter between these two teams. The first two of 5 ODIs then will be played over the weekend. Here, history favours the Caribbean cricketers, for they have a 56% winning record against Pakistan in this form of the game, notching up 64 wins to Pakistan’s 49. But recent performances would seem to give the visitors the edge, particularly Pakistan’s semi-final achievement in the recently-concluded World Cup.

Pakistan is renowned for its willingness to select young players, and theirs is largely a young team, led by the experienced Shahid Afridi, one of the stars of the 2011 World Cup. Senior players such as all-rounder Abdul Razzaq and wicketkeeper/batter Kamran Akmal have been left out after less-than-impressive performances in the World Cup. Others, such as the veteran batter Younis Khan and key paceman Umar Gul, are expected to be called up for the Test series. In turn, the West Indies selectors seem to be looking to the future, sidelining veterans Sarwan, Chanderpaul and Gayle, all former captains, as well as the controversy-prone Suleiman Benn. Two squads, one for the T20 and the other for the first two ODIs, featuring mainly younger players, have been selected, with a nucleus of eight picked for both forms.

Both sets of players have much to emulate, judged by the performances of the ‘greats’ of the past. The likes of the openers Greenidge and Haynes, Lara and Richie Richardson, have racked up impressive tallies in ODIs between these two keen rivals. Surprisingly, the ‘Master Blaster’ Viv Richards has not been so successful in ODIs versus Pakistan, averaging a measly 30 runs per innings, without a century. It is the bowling which has held the upper hand with the fearsome Pakistani trio of Imran Khan, Wasim Akram and Waquar Younis, and the matching West Indian threesome of Ambrose, Walsh and Ian Bishop being the leading wicket-takers.

Can this generation begin to step into such large cricketing boots? The next six weeks will provide the answer.