Babar Azam’s half-century for Pakistan helped condemn West Indies to a seven-wicket loss in their first warm-up match in Dubai on Monday.
Azam and Fakhar Zaman who scored a quick-fire 46 not out broke the back of Pakistan’s chase of the 130-7 set by the West Indies.
Requiring to score at a rate of 6.5 an over, Babar and Mohammed Rizwan put on 36 in the Powerplay for the loss of Rizwan’s wicket for 13. He was bowled by Ravi Rampaul, whose three overs went for only 19.
However, Babar and Zaman put on 58 for the second wicket to take Pakistan to with 36 runs of the target.
There was a brief glimmer of hope for the West Indies when Hayden Walsh broke the partnership when he got the Pakistan captain out stumped for an even 50 from 41 balls and with his next delivery had Mohammed Hafeez caught for 0 first ball.
However, any hopes of a rally from the West Indies were dashed when Zaman and Shoaib Malik (14) took Pakistan to 131-3 midway through the 16th over when Zaman smashed Walsh for 6.
Walsh finished with 2-41 while Rampaul took 1-19 from three overs.
The West Indies won the toss and elected to bat and struggled to 30-2 in the Powerplay as openers Lendl Simmons and Andre Fletcher struggled against the Pakistani bowling attack.
Fletcher was first to go with the score at 12. He was bowled by Hasan Ali for two by the sixth ball he faced. Simmons and Roston Chase took the score to 30 when the former lost his wicket on the last ball of the Powerplay for 18.
Chase didn’t last much longer as he was out for nine in the 11th over and Gayle, having looked out of sorts scoring 20 from 30 balls was bowled by Haris Rauf in the 14th over to leave the West Indies in danger of not making 100 runs at 63-4.
However, Shimron Hetmyer, 28 from 24 balls, Nicholas Pooran, who scored a run-a-ball 13 and Kieron Pollard, who hit five fours in the final over for his 10-ball 23, took the West Indies to 130-7, a score that proved woefully inadequate.
Shaheen Afridi (2-41) and Hasan Ali (2-21) troubled the Caribbean men. They got support from Rauf who took 2-32.
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“We have the manpower within the dressing room”- Sammy confident Windies can overcome 0-2 deficit against England
West Indies white ball head coach Daren Sammy says there’s still optimism in his camp that they can overcome the 0-2 deficit they currently face in their five-game T20I series against England.
The hosts lost the first two game of the series at the Kensington Oval in Barbados on Saturday and Sunday, with the rest of the series now shifting to the Daren Sammy Stadium in St. Lucia beginning with the third T20I on Thursday.
“Most definitely, especially here in St. Lucia,” Sammy said in a pre-match interview on Tuesday regarding his team’s optimism ahead of Thursday’s must-win game and the rest of the series.
“Yes, England have played better cricket than us in these first two games but I’ve rallied St. Lucia to come out and be the 12th man that we need here. We just haven’t played the brand of cricket that has allowed us to win and it’s something that we’re going to address but we have the manpower within that dressing room to win on Thursday and take it one game at a time,” he added.
The West Indies will be without two key players for the rest of the series in Andre Russell and Shamar Joseph.
Russell suffered an ankle injury in the first T20I on Saturday and has been ruled out for the rest of the series while Joseph has left the squad to prepare for the upcoming Test series against Bangladesh starting on November 22 in Antigua.
Replacing the pair are all-rounder Shamar Springer and spearhead Alzarri Joseph, returning to the squad after serving a two-game suspension.
“It’s always a blow to replace somebody like Andre Russell. We have young Shamar Springer who made his debut in Sri Lanka to replace him. He’s a really exciting prospect,” Sammy said.
“Shamar will go in and get ready for the Test series and Alzarri is back from his suspension. We’re looking forward to welcoming him and the experience he brings to the squad. Yes, we lose two key guys but we get two guys who are capable of doing the job for the team as well,” he added.
Springer replaces injured Russell in Windies squad for final leg of England T20Is in Saint Lucia; returning Alzarri Joseph replaces Shamar Joseph
All-rounder Shamar Springer and pacer Alzarri Joseph have been drafted into the West Indies T20I squad ahead of the crucial St. Lucia leg of their “Rivalry” series against England, CWI announced on Tuesday.
Springer replaces Andre Russell who has been ruled out due to a left ankle sprain sustained during the opening T20I at the Kensington Oval in Barbados on Saturday.
The 26-year-old Bajan recently made his international debut during the West Indies tour of Sri Lanka in October.
The other change sees Alzarri Joseph, having completed his two-match suspension, rejoin the squad in Saint Lucia, replacing Shamar Joseph.
The West Indies currently trail the five-match series 0-2.
The squad for the final three games is as follows:
Remaining Schedule of West Indies vs England T20I Series:
3rd T20 International: 14 November 2024- Daren Sammy Stadium, Saint Lucia
4th T20 International: 16 November 2024- Daren Sammy Stadium, Saint Lucia
5th T20 International: 17 November 2024- Daren Sammy Stadium, Saint Lucia
Pride get back on track with tense eight-run DLS method win over Volcanoes
The Barbados Pride rebounded from their defeat at the hands of the CCC in their last game with an eight-run DLS method win over the Windward Islands Volcanoes at the Queen’s Park Oval in Port-of-Spain on Monday.
In the rain-reduced 46 overs-per-side affair, the Pride, after winning the toss and choosing to bat, posted 239-9 from their 46 overs.
In form batsmen Kevin Wickham and Leniko Boucher led the way for the Pride with 47 and 43, respectively while Kemar Smith (34*) and captain Kyle Mayers (33) also made valuable contributions.
Kenneth Dember was excellent in his 10 overs of off-spin, finishing with figured of 3-33.
Set a revised target of 245 from 46 overs, the Volcanoes fell agonizingly short of a win, being bowled out for 237 in the end.
Jeremy Solozano tried his best with an 88-ball 85 while West Indies batsman Kavem Hodge made 37.
Mayers led from the front with the ball with 3-50 from seven overs of medium pace while Dominic Drakes and Javed Leacock each took a pair of wickets.
Full Scores:
Barbados Pride 239-9 off 46 overs (Kevin Wickham 47, Leniko Boucher 43, Kemar Smith 34*, Kyle Mayers 33, Kenneth Dember 3-33)
Windward Islands Volcanoes 237 off 46 overs (Jeremy Solozano 85, Kavem Hodge 37, Kyle Mayers 3-50, Javed Leacock 2-37, Dominic Drakes 2-42).
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