Five reasons why West Indies will defeat Pakistan to win the 3rd ODI

West Indies bowler Sunil Narine (c) is congratulated by Kemar Roach (L) for taking 4 Pakistan wickets during the 2nd ODI at Guyana National Stadium in Georgetown on July 16, 2013.West Indies completed a 37-run victory. (Getty Images)

West Indies gathered a bit of momentum by winning the second ODI of the five-match series after they were doled out a humiliating loss in the first ODI. The third ODI to be played in St. Lucia at Beausejour Stadium, Gros Islet will decide which team holds the advantage in the series.

Pakistan were not dominant in the first encounter but they managed to win the match convincingly because of the heroics of Shahid Afridi. They were exposed in the second match when West Indies were able to put a moderate total on the board, and hence the toss will once again be crucial in the third match as both teams suffer under the pressure of a target.

West Indies rely heavily upon the contribution of their opening pair constituted by Chris Gayle and Johnson Charles. They have been unable to make a match-winning impact as the team expects them to do whereas the middle-order has been short of form but showed some application in the last game. Their bowling has allowed them to be competitive in the circumstances making sure that they do not allow Pakistan to get scores in excess of 230 on slow, turning surfaces.

Pakistan suffer from similar problems as their inexperienced batting line-up continues to frustrate. Nasir Jamshed, Misbah-ul-Haq and Shahid Afridi will have to play their respective roles in the batting order simultaneously to get the team out of this rut. The bowling department is sharp and aggressive but lacks discipline at times as they gave away almost 40 runs as extras in the last game, which hurt them badly.

Here is a list of five reasons why West Indies stand a better chance of taking a lead in the series with victory in the third ODI:

West Indies’ Kieron Pollard (Getty Images)

5. Big-hitting batsmen

Kieron Pollard redeemed himself a little with a breezy knock of 30 runs in 27 balls as he supported captain Dwayne Bravo in a partnership that might have ended prematurely but helped them to put up 232 on the board.

His performances in the last five innings prior to that knock saw him score three ducks. Enough doubts have been raised about his ability to adapt to situations that require application and resolve instead of big-hitting but the corollary of that is that if the middle-order batsmen do their job, he can give the team a huge lift playing his role as a specialist slog-overs batsman.

He will have Bravo alongside him as the foil, who can nudge the singles as well as hit the ropes when required. This West Indian team can challenge any team in the shorter format of the game as long as every individual plays with a little more responsibility.

Pakistan’s Misbah-ul-Haq (Getty Images)

4. Pakistan’s batting woes

West Indies are fortunate in the fact that Pakistan are having an equally bad patch with the willow. They have failed to back their bowling attack as they fall apart at the sign of any pressure.

Jamshed’s half-century was the only innings of substance in the previous match as they failed to chase a moderate total set for them by West Indies. The most appalling stat, however, is that the highest partnership in the match was of 39 runs.

West Indies have been able to get wickets at regular intervals as settled batsmen have thrown away their chances creating greater difficulties for the incoming batsman. Misbah-ul-Haq can anchor the innings but he is painfully slow refusing to accumulate the singles whereas the lower order is intent on slogging their way out of trouble.

West Indies will take advantage of this weakness if Pakistan doesn’t put their house in order.

West Indies batsman Chris Gayle (Getty Images)

3. Charles and Gayle

The opening pair of Gayle and Charles has failed to light this series on fire but their potential is such that they can simply snatch the match away in no time. Moreover, they cracked the whip in the last Tri-Nation series, winning two matches for the West Indies with two brilliant individual performances.

Charles especially has the ability to apply himself, though, he suffers from a major flaw in that he does not rotate the strike frequently enough. Gayle, on the other hand, was has been very wasteful in the series.

He has not even given the lethal Pakistan pace-battery a challenge in the series so far which is a disappointment for the neutral viewer who had been waiting with bated breath for the mouth-watering contest. He can be surprisingly moody, and that makes him a constant threat.

Sunil Narine of the West Indies (Getty Images)

2. Sunil Narine

The mystery spinner is doubly effective in home-conditions and after a brief draught of wickets, he returned to the party with a four-wicket haul in the last game. The variations that he has in his repertoire allow him to fox the tail-end batsmen in quick succession making him much like a spin version of Lasith Malinga.

His economy rate is baffling and while it is impressive in itself, its greater benefit is that the pressure created at his end improves the wicket-taking ability of other bowlers. He might get greater assistance in terms of spin and bounce at St. Lucia than he got at Guyana.

West Indies captain Dwayne Bravo (Getty Images)

1. Greater resilience

West Indian cricketers are entertainers. They like to play a very exciting brand of cricket – fast bowlers, hard-hitting batsman – but once in a while in difficult conditions the virtue of patience and application is required.

The way they crumbled while chasing a moderate total in the first match was hugely disappointing and must have annoyed the fans. The Tri-Nation tournament saw very little crowd when India and Sri Lanka were playing whereas the home-team was cheered on by almost packed stadiums but if they do not show fight, that will dwindle too.

It is critical for the betterment of cricket that West Indies give themselves the best chance to win this series. Darren Bravo played a crucial innings at number three scoring a half century, but more importantly staying on the crease for 30 overs to ensure that the team bats all 50 overs.

His half-brother and captain Dwayne Bravo supported him in full by remaining undefeated at the end of 50 overs. The likes of Marlon Samuels and Lendl Simmons need to show similar strength of character.