A big chance for Pakistan to strengthen their No. 1 T20I rank

Pakistan have the opportunity to firm up their position at the top of the ICC T20I Team Rankings in an upcoming three-match series against the Windies which will be played in Karachi from 1 to 3 April.

A 3-0 victory will take the Sarfraz Ahmed-led side four points clear of Australia, who had closed in on them following a 2-0 series win over New Zealand last month. Pakistan and Australia are both currently on 126 points, with Pakistan ahead on decimal points.

The Windies, who are currently in fifth position with 115 points, will slip to 111 points and seventh position, behind England and South Africa, in such a scenario. A 2-1 win for Pakistan will not change the position or points for either side while a 2-1 win for the Windies will pull Pakistan down to 123 points, just two more than third-placed India. The Windies will be on 119 points.

In case the Jason Mohammed-led side is victorious by a 3-0 margin, they will overtake Pakistan with the teams finishing on 122 and 120 points, respectively.

CWI Chief Selector responds

“We had a few players that opted not to tour Pakistan, due to their or their families’ security concerns and CWI have fully accepted their position. This series, therefore, provide opportunities for new players to state their claim for a regular place in the team, plus gain vital experience in different conditions”, the West Indies chief selector Courtney Brown was quoted saying at the announcement of the squad.

Here is the West Indies squad for the Pakistan tour

Squad: Jason Mohammed (Captain), Samuel Badree, Rayad Emrit, Andre Fletcher, Andre McCarthy, Keemo Paul, Veerasammy Permaul, Rovman Powell, Denesh Ramdin, Marlon Samuels, Odean Smith, Chadwick Walton, Kesrick Williams

Here is the Pakistan squad for the home series

Sarfraz Ahmed (c), Sharjeel Khan, Khalid Latif, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Imad Wasim, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Amir, Wahab Riaz, Sohail Tanvir, Mohammad Nawaz, Shoaib Malik, Umar Akmal, Saad Nasim, Rumman Raees.