PAK v WI, 3rd ODI Preview: Yet another clean sweep beckons for Pakistan

While the Mickey Arthur effect may be starting to work, Azhar Ali’s Pakistan now stands on the brink of completing a clean sweep in the ODI series. Although this will do little to soften the criticism on Azhar, the achievement of completing a clean sweep against any full-member and sanctioned ICC team will be a massive confidence boost.

As for Jason Holder, it will be a case of saving his face in a situation he has not been able to thrive in. In the context of the series, however, both teams will be playing for pride and morale in what is expected to be a highly inconsequential encounter away from those taking an active part in the same.

Team Analysis

Pakistan

After a disappointing series in England, Pakistan has seemingly bounced back into the ODI setup under the guidance of Mickey Arthur. Although there is a lot of work to be done for Pakistan to become a world beater in the 50-over format, a whitewash against a lowly West Indies unit may very well look like a gold star on the CV of an up and coming team.

However, in spite of all of that, the incumbent West Indies side boasts of some world class players in the form of Sunil Narine and Marlon Samuels. In this capacity, it is indeed safe to award the gold star to Azhar Ali and his men. One of the standout players for Pakistan has been Babar Azam. It would seem as though he has come of age in a sense of scoring the important runs for his side.

While Azam was rewarded for his exploits with a Test call-up, most of the eyes will be on Imad Wasim. Playing on a wicket that supports spinners in Abu Dhabi, Wasim will be expected to tweak the ball a country mile. A milestone beckons for left-arm speedster Wahab Riaz as he looks to get the 100 ODI wicket monkey off his back.

West Indies

The current tour of Pakistan has been one setback after another for the West Indies. More than that, 24-year old Jason Holder who also happens to be the team captain seemingly cannot do much about this predicament. After a 3-0 whitewash in the T20I series, a 3-0 whitewash in the ODI series may look somewhat humiliating given the rich history of West Indies cricket.

One of the positives to come away from the previous match was the performances of Marlon Samuels and Darren Bravo. The latter in particular was impressive as his transition into the One-Day format does not look to be all that difficult. Marlon Samuels, who is in the twilight of his career will also be looking to make a mark at Abu Dhabi.

However, similar to Pakistan, most of the spotlight will be on the spinners, in this case, which will be Sunil Narine. It will be somewhat unclear whether Ashley Nurse will get picked ahead of Sulieman Benn, but it will be important for Sunil Narine to lead the charge as far as the spinners are concerned. Alzarri Joseph is unlikely to get the nod given the turning conditions at Abu Dhabi.

Playing XI:

Pakistan:

Azhar Ali(c), Sharjeel Khan, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Sarfraz Ahmed(w), Mohammad Rizwan, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Nawaz, Wahab Riaz, Hasan Ali, Sohail Khan

West Indies:

Kraigg Brathwaite, Evin Lewis, Darren Bravo, Marlon Samuels, Denesh Ramdin(w), Kieron Pollard, Jason Holder(c), Sunil Narine, Sulieman Benn, Alzarri Joseph, Shannon Gabriel

StAttack

1. Wahab Riaz requires 2 wickets to complete 100 ODI wickets

2. Denesh Ramdin requires 13 dismissals to complete 200 ODI dismissals. He will become only the second West Indies wicketkeeper to achieve this feat after Jeff Dujon.

3. Babar Azam requires 231 runs to complete 1000 ODI runs. The way he is going at the moment, it would seem as though a couple of innings would do it. Moreover, he will become the 38th Pakistan batsman to complete this feat.

4. Sunil Narine requires 9 wickets to complete 100 wickets in ODI cricket.