Pakistan vs West Indies: First ODI- Preview, Playing XI, Pitch Report & Updates

With the new season of international cricket beginning afresh, Pakistan will host West Indies for a three-match One Day International series. The series will begin on the 8th of June at the Multan Cricket Stadium. All three matches in the series will be crucial for the qualification process for the World Cup in India in 2023. The series has been rescheduled from December last year to now, owing to the Covid 19-outbreak.

Team Updates

Pakistan

Pakistan's last match was against Australia two months ago. This lengthy break has allowed the team to recharge its batteries. They began their practice sessions a few weeks ago at the High-Performance Centre (HPC). Under the leadership of Babar Azam, the team has developed a lot in the past few years. They have become a force to reckon in white-ball cricket. They would like to put forward a strong performance in the next encounter as well.

After his brilliant performance against Australia in their last ODI series, all eyes will be on Imam ul Haq. He ended the series with 298 runs at an average of 149 runs with a strike rate of more than 100. Babar Azam and Shaheen Shah Afridi will also be crucial to the team's success in the game.

Probable Playing XI

Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam (c), Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf

West Indies

West Indies is coming out of a dominant 3-0 victory against the Netherlands. After Kieron Pollard stepped down as the team captain, Nicholas Pooran started his full-time captaincy stint on a positive note. He would want to get similar results in the upcoming series as well. However, competing against Pakistan in Pakistan would be challenging for him as captain. He will have to put his best foot forward to win the matches.

Shamarh Brooks and Shai Hope were at their best in the series against the Netherlands, scoring 167 and 161 runs, respectively. They must now maintain their good form in order to contribute to the team.

Probable Playing XI

Shai Hope, Shamarh Brooks, Nkrumah Bonner, Nicholas Pooran (c & wk), Brandon King, Rovman Powell, Kyle Mayers, Alzarri Joseph, Hayden Walsh, Akeal Hosein, Sherfane Rutherford

Pitch Report

The surface at Multan Cricket Stadium is normally favorable for batting, so a high-scoring match between the two teams can be expected. The batters will need to see out the new ball before attempting to increase their scoring rate. The side that wins the toss may want to field first.

Match Details

Date- 8th June 2022

Time- 4:30p.m. (IST)

Venue-  Multan Cricket Stadium, Multan

Broadcast in India- Sony Sports Network, Sony Liv