West Indies vs Pakistan 3rd ODI: Five players to watch out for

West Indies and Pakistan shared the spoils at Guyana and the next chapter of the battle will be written in St. Lucia at the Beausejour Stadium, Gros Islet.

Pakistan owed their victory in the first match to the showmanship of Shahid Afridi, whereas West Indies clinched the second win through a determined team effort that was capped by Narine’s exploits. Both the teams desperately want to win this critical series.

Pakistan are looking to make a comeback after their disastrous Champions Trophy campaign, whereas West Indies are trying to improve upon their dismal international record of the last six months with the only series win coming against Zimbabwe. The winner of the 3rd ODI will have a considerable advantage going into the final leg of the series as the other team will be put under pressure.

Pakistan’s batting has consistently let them down in the recent past. The top order failed miserably in the first match; and when it did show some resistance during the chase in the 2nd ODI, the lower middle order suffered a meltdown. They are lucky to have a match-winning bowling department, but they gave away almost 40 extras in the last game which is simply unacceptable.

West Indies suffer from similar troubles. Almost the entire team has been short of runs in the recent past, but Marlon Samuels, Chris Gayle and Kieron Pollard have struggled the most. These problems are aggravated by the fact that West Indies have been rather wasteful in the field. Both the teams need to address these issues.

Here is a list of five players who can make an impact in the 3rd ODI:

5. Dwayne Bravo

The West Indian captain played a responsible innings in the last match, remaining undefeated with 43 critical runs at the end of the first innings as they defeated Pakistan by 37 runs. He becomes a more potent batsman in the lower middle order when he has a platform to build upon, and so he’ll be hoping that the likes of Johnson Charles, Chris Gayle and Darren Bravo come to the party.

He was positive as a captain and looked upbeat in spite of losing the toss, and talked about the importance of runs on the board. This seems to be the only tactic that will give West Indies their best chance to perform in this series, given that their batsmen have the tendency to break under the pressure of a target.

4. Misbah-ul-Haq

Bravo’s opposite number failed to anchor the innings in the last game, and the result was there for all to see. He might be taking the blame for being extremely cautious in his approach, but the fact is that this Pakistani batting line-up requires someone to bat through the innings and he seems the only likely candidate for that job.

Batting at number four, he can arrive to the crease at an early enough stage so that he can consume a few more balls than the other batsman. With the likes of Umar Akmal and Shahid Afridi present in the lower order, they can up the ante in the batting powerplay and slog overs.

3. Jason Holder

The West Indian fast bowler ran through the Pakistani batting line-up in the first match, picking up 4/13 in his 10 overs. He might not get the same amount of assistance at St. Lucia, but he is a bowler who exercises good control over his line and length and that keeps him in good stead.

He was a lot less effective in the second ODI, but he restricted the scoring and kept putting pressure on the batsmen. The Pakistani top order has been short of runs and thus it is important for the West Indian bowlers to lighten the weight upon the batsmen by restricting them to a moderate total.

2. Shahid Afridi

The miracle-worker single-handedly won the first match for Pakistan. His innings of 76 of 55 balls came at a critical situation and on a pitch that was very difficult to bat upon. However, his impact with the ball remains a much greater threat. He picked 7 wickets in that match and backed it up with impressive figures of 2/29 in his 10 overs in the second match.

His leg-spin bowling is sharper due to the fact that he bowls as straight as possible, maximizing the probability of getting a dismissal. A blitzkrieg lower down the order will also be appreciated.

1. Chris Gayle

The left-handed batsman has gone cold since his match-winning hundred in the opening match of the last series. He looked casual in his approach in the last match, trying an expansive shot in the very first over off the bowling of Md. Irfan. He has exhibited the ability to stick it out in hostile circumstances in the past, and the coaching staff and the team think-tank must have had a chat with him.

He is an absolute match winner when he is in his element as he can decimate the opposition within the space of a few overs. Even if he bats out the first fifteen overs for the West Indies, the probability of them leading the series 2-1 at the end of the day will be multiplied manifold.