Pakistan will tour the Caribbean
After a gap of four years, #Pakistan will play 2 T20Is, 3 ODIs, and 3 tests against the West Indies in March-May 2017. According to ESPNcricinfo, the tour will begin with the T20I series starting at the end of March, followed by an odi series, and concluding with a test series. Pakistan are coming into the series with six consecutive test defeats and a 4-1 thrashing by Australia in the recently concluded ODI series. The spirited West Indies will be playing the series in their own backyard, and will certainly pose a tougher challenge for the Asian giants.
The men in green have never won a test series in the Caribbean, and their last test series here ended in a 1-1 draw.
Pakistan test captain comes under fire
Pakistan will be playing this series after facing humiliating defeats in New Zealand, and Australia, which prompted the selectors to make a few changes to the squad. The lowly ranked West Indies will not be easy opponents for Pakistan in the tricky conditions of the Caribbean. Pakistan test captain, Misbah ul Haq faced some serious criticism for his tactics in the recently concluded test series against Australia, where the Aussies swept the series, rather convincingly. Pakistan also faced heavy criticism for their below par performance in the ODI series against Australia, prompting Azhar Ali to step down from the ODI captaincy.
The Asian side have won just one of their last five bilateral ODI series.
West Indies will play aggressively
#West Indies will be looking forward to avenging the losses they suffered against Pakistan in the UAE last year, losing both the T20Is and ODI series by an embarrassing margin of 3-0, and eventually losing the test series 2-1.
West Indies will do their best to unsettle their Asian opponents and take advantage of the home conditions.
The conditions
The batting conditions will be difficult in the Caribbean, and the pitches will favor the pacers in most cases. Pakistan will rely heavily upon their pace duo of Mohammad Amir and Wahab Riaz in rattling the opposition.
Yasir Shah will need to get his rhythm back and start taking wickets at a rapid pace to trouble the West Indies top order. For the West Indies, Dwayne Bravo and Jason Holder will be expected to contribute with the bat and ball. The spin of Davendra Bishoo will also test the unpredictable batting line of Pakistan.
The schedule of the series is as follows:
1st T20I -- March 31st, Port of Spain
2nd T20I -- April 2nd, Port of Spain
1st ODI -- April 7th, Providence
2nd ODI -- April 9th, Providence
3rd ODI -- April 11th, Providence
1st Test -- April 22 - 26th, Kingston
2nd Test -- April 30 - May 4th, Bridgetown
3rd Test -- May 10 - 14th, Roseau
