West Indies vs Pakistan, 3rd T20I: Preview, predicted XIs, match prediction, live streaming, weather forecast and pitch report

West Indies will host Pakistan in the third game of the four-match T20I series at the Providence Stadium in Guyana on Sunday.

The first T20I between the West Indies and Pakistan was washed out with rain playing spoilsport. Pakistan won the second game by a close margin of seven runs. Batting first, the visitors posted 157 runs on the board.

Once again, it was the duo of captain Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan doing the bulk of the scoring. Babar scored 51 runs while Rizwan contributed 46. Jason Holder was the pick of the bowlers for the West Indies, grabbing four wickets.

In reply, the hosts came agonizingly close but were eventually restricted to 150/4 by Pakistan. Evin Lewis (35), and Nicholas Pooran (62*), were the only significant scorers for the West Indies. Mohammad Hafeez was the standout bowler for Pakistan, returning with figures of 1/6 from his four overs.

With two more games to go in the series, Pakistan will look to take an unassailable lead with a win in the third T20I. Meanwhile, the hosts need a victory to keep themselves series alive in the series.

Match Details

Match: West Indies vs Pakistan

Date & Time: August 1, 2021, 8:30 PM IST

Venue: Providence Stadium, Guyana

Weather Report

The third game is likely to be affected by rain as per the weather forecast. Heavy showers are expected throughout the course of the game and there could be a possibility of a washout. Temperatures will vary between 26 and 28 degrees Celsius.

Pitch Report

The wicket at this venue hasn’t been batting friendly. We saw Pakistan post a score of 157 in the previous game, which was nearly chased down by the West Indies. A total in the 150-160 range can be expected once again and chasing is a viable option.

Predicted Playing XIs

West Indies

West Indies have a power-packed top order. Should the likes of Evin Lewis, Chris Gayle and Shimron Hetmyer fire together, they can take apart any bowling attack. West Indies bat deep with captain Pollard, Holder and Bravo coming down the order.

Andre Fletcher failed to perform last time and it will be interesting to see if he gets another go in a must-win game. The hosts might also bring back Andre Russell for Romario Shephard, who did not have a good outing.

Predicted XI: Evin Lewis, Andre Fletcher/Lendl Simmons, Chris Gayle, Shimron Hetmyer, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Kieron Pollard (c), Andre Russell, Jason Holder, Dwayne Bravo, Hayden Walsh Jr, Akeal Hosein.

Pakistan

Pakistan were once again dependent on captain Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan. Babar and Rizwan have been very consistent of late. However, the rest of the batsmen have struggled and will have to come good as a unit.

Shaheen Afridi, Hasan Ali and Mohammad Wasim picked up a wicket each in the previous game but gave away some cheap runs. Despite the win, there are the areas Pakistan will have to work on.

Predicted XI: Sharjeel Khan, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Babar Azam (c), Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez, Sohaib Maqsood, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Wasim, Shaheen Afridi, Usman Qadir.

Match Prediction

West Indies have played some very good cricket in the T20I format in the recent past. They are certainly a formidable unit and will look to bounce back. With the series on the line, we can expect the hosts to avenge their defeat in the second T20I. Pakistan come into this game with momentum on their side. However, winning the series with a game to spare will not be a cakewalk for the visitors.