West Indies versus Pakistan
West Indies v Pakistan | 1st T20I | 1 August | Central Broward Regional Park Stadium Turf Ground, Lauderhill | 2:00am
Thursday’s game is the first of three T20Is being played between the West Indies and Pakistan. All the games in the series will be played in Lauderhill.
The T20I series will be followed by a three game ODI series.
The West Indies come into the series on the back of a difficult series against Australia. They were whitewashed in both the T20I and Test series.
Pakistan meanwhile arrives in America on the back of a series loss against Bangladesh. Although they won their last outing, they lost the series 2-1.
There is not a single player in the Pakistan side (neither batsman nor bowler) who is currently ranked in the ICC Top 20 players. While Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan both feature in the rankings, neither is in the T20I squad.
White-ball specialist Shaheen Shah Afridi didn’t play against Bangladesh and has rested since the end of the PSL. He is back in the mix and will be eager to add to his current haul of 102 T20I wickets, which he has claimed at an impressive strike rate of 16.8.
Venue: Central Broward Regional Park Stadium Turf Ground, Lauderhill
Pakistan have played just one T20I at this venue, a World Cup clash against Ireland in 2024. They won by three wickets, meaning they are undefeated at the ground.
As much as this is a home series for the West Indies this venue is in America. The West Indies have a poor record at the ground with seven losses from 12 games.
The ground has played host to a total of 19 T20Is. The stats are overwhelmingly in favour of the side that bats first, with the side batting first winning 11 of the 19 games. The side batting second has won just five times.
As much as the stats are strongly in favour of the side batting first, the captain that has won the toss has only opted to bat on nine occasions.
The average first innings score at the ground is 154.
The highest score recorded at the venue is 245 for six, made by the West Indies against India in 2016.
The highest score successfully chased is 179 for one, achieved by India against the West Indies in 2023.
The lowest score ever defended at the ground was a total of 120 for seven, made by New Zealand against Sri Lanka.
Weather:
There is rain forecast for Thursday evening, but the chances are low at just 20 percent. There may be a delay at some point, but it doesn’t look likely to be enough for a complete washout. Expect plenty of warm and humid weather with the temperature up at around the 30-degree mark deep into the night.
Form (most recent game first):
West Indies: L, L, L, L, L.
Pakistan: W, L, L, W, W.
Key player:
West Indies, Shai Hope: Although his side struggled for wins against Australia there were plenty of positives for the West Indies captain in the series against Australia, not least of which was his batting. He finished the series with 185 runs at an average of 46.25. Batting at the top of the order he hits the ball cleanly and likes to attack hard in the power play. At 10 on the ICC batting rankings, he is the highest ranked Windies’ batter. With a respectible T20I average of 29.50 and a strike rate of 141.31, Hope will be looking to steer his side to a much-needed win.
Pakistan, Shaheen Shah Afridi: A white-ball specialist and a key ingredient in Pakistan’s bowling mix. His strike-rate of 16.8 is outstanding – by way of comparison, Kagiso Rabada’s strike-rate is 19.6 and Mitchell Starc’s is 18.4. Bowlers only ever get a maximum of four overs to work their magic but expect Afridi to bowl three spells – at the start, in the middle and at the end. He backs himself to take wickets in each spell and usually does.
Verdict: West Indies
They have not been playing badly, but they are not playing well either. but you can’t help feeling that a win is just around the corner for the West Indies. For a side that is looking for batting fluency, Lauderhill is not the ideal venue but expect the ‘home’ side to finally get one over the line here. Their cause will certainly be helped if they are able to win the toss.
