Pakistan vs West Indies 2018: 5 players with most runs in Pak-WI T20Is

West Indies are set to tour Pakistan for a historic three-match T20I series beginning on April 1 and despite security concerns forcing the visitors to name a weakened 13-man squad for the matches to be played in Karachi, the series promises to be a cracker.

Pakistan are the most experienced side in T20 international cricket, having played 123 matches till date, and are currently the top-ranked side in the world in the format.

West Indies meanwhile have players who thrive in the format and, as their two World T20 triumphs prove, can be a handful for any side on their day.

West Indies and Pakistan have met each other 11 times in the T20 format with the latter holding the clear advantage, having won eight times.

The two sides first met at Gros Islet in April 2011 with the hosts emerging victorious by 7 runs but since then, Pakistan have been the dominant side, also winning the two sides' last encounter, in the Port of Spain, in April 2017.

Let's have a look at the 5 players who have scored the maximum number of runs in T20I contests between the two sides over the years.

#5 Ahmed Shehzad (Pakistan) - 143 runs

The only Pakistan cricketer to have scored a century in all three formats of the game, Ahmed Shehzad is an extremely talented cricketer who has had his fair share of run-ins with the Pakistan Cricket Board over disciplinary matters.

However, he is currently in a rich vein of form going into the three-match series against the West Indies and will be hoping that his bat does the talking for him.

He has reached a double-digit score in all but two of his last 15 T20I innings and can provide an explosive start to his side.

Shehzad is Pakistan's fourth highest run-getter in the format and has played eight times against the West Indies, scoring 143 runs from 8 matches at an average of 17.87 and a strike rate of 100.

Shehzad will be hoping that he can improve on those figures and if he does continue playing the way he has been recently, there is no reason why Shehzad cannot make a giant leap in this particular table as well.

#4 Shoaib Malik (Pakistan) - 159 runs

Shoaib Malik is Pakistan's highest run-getter in the T20 format

Pakistan's highest run-getter in the T20 format with 1821 runs from 92 matches, former skipper Shoaib Malik is a veteran in the side, providing solidity in the middle order while also possessing the ability to accelerate the scoring towards the latter stages of the innings.

Like Shehzad, Malik has been in fine form with the bat and will be looking to make a good addition to his tally of 159 runs from 8 matches against the West Indies thus far.

The 36-year-old's highest score against the Carribean side was his unbeaten knock of 43 off 34 balls in the 3rd and final T20I of West Indies' tour of the UAE in 2016 as the visitors were on the receiving end of a 3-0 hammering by Pakistan.

With a weakened bowling unit, Shoaib will be hoping that he can muster a few runs under his belt as he approaches the 2000-run landmark in T20I cricket.

#3 Marlon Samuels (West Indies) - 188 runs

Samuels is closing in on Chris Gayle's run tally

The only player from either side to feature in all 11 T20I contests between the two sides, Marlon Samuels is the third-most capped player for West Indies in the format as well as one of only two players from the Carribean - the other being Chris Gayle - to have scored a century in all three formats of the game.

Currently 120 runs behind Gayle's career tally of 1589 runs, Samuels will be aiming to become West Indies' highest run-getter in the format during the course of the three-match T20I series against Pakistan.

In his 11 matches thus far against Pakistan, Samuels has scored 188 runs at an average of 18.80 and a strike rate of 89.09 - something he will clearly want to improve upon.

Apart from his batting, Samuels can also chip in with the ball as well. Three of his 25 T20I career wickets have come against Pakistan.

#2 Dwayne Bravo (West Indies) - 190 runs

Bravo has not played for the West Indies since the 3-match T20I series against Pakistan in 2016

With 190 runs from 6 matches, all-rounder Dwayne Bravo is the highest run-getter for West Indies in T20I contests against Pakistan.

While Bravo currently finds himself out of favour with the West Indian selectors, he has enjoyed playing against Pakistan in the T20I format as the records suggest.

It was Bravo's knock of 55 that lent the West Indies batting scorecard some amount of credibility in the first T20I of West Indies' tour of United Arab Emirates at Dubai in September 2016, with no other player except tailender Jerome Taylor managing to reach double figures.

Their tally of 115 was easily overpowered by Pakistan but Bravo provided a gentle reminder to everyone that his ability with the bat is still intact despite the enviable progress he has made with the ball, especially as a death-over specialist.

#1 Babar Azam (Pakistan) - 238 runs

Babar Azam has been prolific for Pakistan in limited-overs cricket

With 238 runs from 7 matches against the West Indies, Pakistan's Babar Azam is the leading run-getter from either side in T20I contests between the two sides.

The 23-year-old has been a revelation for Pakistan in limited overs cricket with an average of over 50 after 41 ODIs, including 7 centuries. He also possesses an astounding average of 48.08 in T20I cricket, scoring 577 runs from 17 matches at an impressive strike rate of 122.50.

In his seven matches against the Carribeans, Azam has managed to reach double-figures on each and every occasion.

He scored an unbeaten 55 in his first game against West Indies at Dubai in September 2016 to set Pakistan on their way for a 3-0 whitewash.

Azam was in splendid form during the three-match T20I series against New Zealand earlier this year and will be hoping to run away from the chasing pack with a strong series against a weakened West Indian bowling attack at Lahore.

Currently placed at the number three spot in the ICC T20 rankings for batsmen, Azam could very well move to the top of the table by the end of the series.