WI vs PAK: 5 Players to watch out for in the 2-match Test series
West Indies and Pakistan are all set to shift their gears to the ultimate format and kick start their new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle. Both the teams will lock horns against each other for two Test matches starting from August 12. The weather played a major part in the T20Is as Pakistan eventually won 1-0 after having taken an early lead in the series.
Pakistan finished on the sixth position in the previous WTC cycle wherein they won every series at home but were unable to register a single triumph away. The West Indies, on the other hand, was placed at the eighth position on the table. Winning the series in Bangladesh under the captaincy of Kraigg Brathwaite was their final win in the tournament before drawing against Sri Lanka and then a 2-0 loss to the Proteas.
As Pakistan and Windies take on the assignment for the red ball cricket yet again, here are the 5 players to watch out for in the series:
Babar Azam
The contributions of Babar Azam for Pakistan are extremely pivotal. In the 33 Test matches that he has played, he has chipped in 2169 runs at a healthy average of 42.53. In the last cycle of the WTC, he smashed 932 runs at an average of 66.57 across the ten matches. This includes as many as four centuries. Pakistan have won in WI before and the onus will be on Babar again to take the team to win.
Mohammad Rizwan
The other player that the Pakistan team would highly rely on is Mohammad Rizwan. He has emerged as the first choice wicketkeeper of the team and stands as an important cog in the side’s wheel. In the 15 Test matches, he has scored 820 runs at an average of 43.16. With a ton and six half-centuries, he hit 741 runs at the average of 46.31 in the previous WTC cycle.
Kyle Mayers
Taking the center stage, Kyle Mayers marked his entry in red-ball cricket in style. He displayed his fiefdom by scoring a belligerent unbeaten 210 runs whilst the chase of 305 in Bangladesh and sailed the team to a memorable victory. Mayers showed immense promise with his all-round abilities scoring 521 runs at an average of 47.36 and clinching 10 wickets as well.
Shaheen Afridi
A lot of hopes will be pinned on the youngster ahead of the start of this series. He was exceptional for the side in their last campaign, scalping 36 wickets and leading the way for Pakistan with the ball. In 17 Test matches, the pacer has picked up 58 wickets and has two five-wicket hauls under his sleeves.
Jason Holder
Jason Holder has been the defining factor for West Indies ever since his debut. The team has ridden on his shoulders during crunch moments. The 29-year-old performed for the side with both the bat and the ball in their campaign scoring 493 runs and picking up 31 wickets. He recorded three five-wicket hauls, including 6-42 in a victory against England. He was West Indies’ fourth-highest run-scorer and second-highest wicket-taker in the previous WTC cycle.
