PAK v WI, T20I Series: Key Windies players missing due to IPL commitments, says Najam Sethi

PCB Chief Najam Sethi has confirmed that security concerns were not the reason why some main Windies players declined traveling to Pakistan. He clearly mentioned that most of the players had prior commitments with IPL franchises. Many cricketers decided to not travel to Pakistan during the PSL as well, which still raises question marks on their ability to host big games.

In the midst of all this brouhaha, they managed to win the trust of the West Indian cricket who accepted to tour Pakistan for 3 T20Is. Whilst this came in as a huge boost for their country, the absence of various star players in the Caribbean setup came in as a disappointment for the Pakistan fans and the authorities.

But Najam Sethi ruled out the allegations that the players were not comfortable to travel to their country. He also dismissed a fact that the Windies side looks slightly fragile without the inclusion of some big players. “It is not fair to say that big West Indies players are not coming. Just two of their players have refused to come to Pakistan due to their [prior] commitments in the Indian Premier League,” he said, as quoted by The Dawn.

Jason Mohammad to lead the Windies side

Carlos Brathwaite is committed to the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL, which led to the captaincy spot in the Windies lineup getting vacant. Jason Mohammad, however, has been chosen to fill that void. Some other big names in the side like the Universe Boss Chris Gayle, ODI and Test skipper Jason Holder and Devendra Bishoo too were omitted from the squad.

Nevertheless, there are some experienced names in the Windies side currently. The likes of Marlon Samuels, Denesh Ramdin, and Samuel Badree will add a lot of strength to the side, but to pull off a good result against Pakistan in their own backyard will be quite a mountain to climb.

Earlier, the Caribbean side’s tour to Pakistan was due to take place in November last year, but adverse weather conditions in Lahore and the West Indies’ major players commitment to the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) became the main reasons behind the postponement.

Check out MS Dhoni’s bike collection