Pakistan set to take on the Windies in a battle for pride

After an impressive show in England which earned them the No.1 spot in Tests, Pakistan are now all set to take on the West Indies in the UAE, their ‘home’ in cricket, in three-match series in all formats of the game. The West Indies, on the other hand, will be looking to make a fresh start after losing a home series against India.

The two will lock horns first in a T20 series beginning September 23 in Dubai. Though Pakistan and the West Indies have been old foes in cricket (they had played their first Test in 1957/58), they have not played each other much in the shortest format.

Till now, the two sides have met in four T20 matches and the laurels have been shared 2-2. The last time the two teams faced each other was two-and-half years back, in the group stage of the 2014 T20 World Cup in Bangladesh. The Caribbeans, defenders in that tournament, had thrashed the Asians by 84 runs.

The three other encounters before that were, however, close affairs with the West Indies winning one game by seven runs while Pakistan clinching the other two by 2 wickets and 11 runs, respectively. Pakistan, in fact, had beaten the West Indies 2-0 in a T20 series in the Caribbeans in 2013.

Here are some team and individual records set in Pakistan-West Indies games in T20:

Team records:

• Total matches played: 4 (WI won 2, Pak won 2)
• Highest totals: WI 166/6 (20 overs) in Dhaka in 2014; Pak 158/8 (20 overs) in Kingstown in 2013
• Lowest totals: WI 124/9 (20 overs) in Kingstown in 2013; Pak 82 (17.5 overs) in Dhaka
• Biggest victories: WI won by 84 runs in Dhaka in 2014; Pak won by 11 runs in Kingstown in 2013. In terms of wickets, Pakistan won by 2 wickets in Kingston in 2013; WI are yet to win a match batting second.
• Narrowest victories: WI won by seven runs in Gros Islet in 2011; Pak won by 11 runs in Kingston in 2013. In terms of wickets, Pakistan won by 2 wickets in Kingston in 2013; WI are yet to win a match batting second.

Individual records:

• Most runs: Dwayne Bravo (WI) has scored 106 runs vs Pak in three matches while for Pakistan, Umar Akmal has scored 97 runs in four matches.
• Highest scores: Lendl Simmons (WI) scored 65 off 44 balls vs Pak in Gros Islet in 2011; Umar Amin (Pak) scored 47 off 34 balls in Kingstown in 2013
• Highest strike rate in an innings: Darren Sammy (WI) with 214.28 in Kingstown and Shahid Afridi (Pak) with 170.37 in Kingstown; both in 2013.
• Most fifties: Lendl Simmons (WI) has only scored a fifty in WI-Pak T20 matches so far. For Pak, Umar Amin’s 47 is the highest.
• Most sixes: For WI, Dwayne Bravo, Darren Sammy and Lendl Simmons have hit five sixes each while for Pak, Shahid Afridi has hit four sixes.
• Most wickets: Sunil Narine (WI) has seven wickets in three matches; Zulfiqar Babar (Pak) has six wickets in three matches.
• Best bowling figures: Devendra Bishoo (WI) took four for 17 runs in Gros Islet in 2011; Zulfiqar Babar (Pak) took three for 23 in Kingstown in 2013
• Best economy rate: Krishmar Santokie (WI) has an economy rate of 3.17; Mohammad Hafeez (Pak) has an economy rate of 4.63

One day internationals (ODIs):

The ODI series between Pakistan and the West Indies will take place between September 30-October 5 in Sharjah and Abu Dhabi.

The ODI rivalry between these sides has a rich history since both have been formidable bowling sides with some hard-hitting batsmen in their ranks.

Who will forget the spirit of Courtney Walsh in a high-voltage World Cup match in 1987 when he had refused to run Saleem Jaffar out even after he had left the crease at the non-striker’s end? The West Indies couldn’t make the semi-finals for the first time in a World Cup but gentleman Walsh has not been forgotten.

The two sides have played 127 ODIs since 1975 with the West Indies winning 69 of them and Pakistan 55. Three games have been tied – exciting stats indeed.

Here is a look at the team and individual records of WI-Pak matches played so far:

Team records:

• Total matches played: 127 (WI won 69, Pak 55; Tied three)
• Highest totals: WI 339/4 (50 overs) in Adelaide in 2005; Pak 307/8 (50 overs) in Perth in 2005
• Lowest totals: WI 98 (41 overs) in Providence in 2013; Pak 43 (19.5 overs) in Cape Town in 1993
• Biggest victories: WI won by 150 runs in Christchurch in 2015; Pak won by 138 runs in Sharjah in 1999. In terms of wickets, WI by 10 wickets in Melbourne in 1992; Pak won by 10 wickets in Dhaka in 2011. Out of these four matches, three were played in World Cups.
• Narrowest victories: WI won by 1 run in Bridgetown in 2011; Pak won by 1 run in Sharjah in 1991. In terms of wickets, WI won by a solitary wicket on four occasions (Birmingham 1975; Brisbane 1982, Adelaide 1984 and Sharjah 1991); Pak won by 1 wicket in Lahore in 1987.

Individual records:

• Most runs: Desmond Haynes (WI) 2,390 runs in 65 matches; Javed Miandad (Pak) 1,930 runs in 64 matches
• Highest scores: Brian Lara (WI) 156 off 138 balls in Adelaide 2005; Saeed Anwar (Pak) 131 off 141 balls in Sharjah in 1993
• Most hundreds: Brian Lara (WI) has five hundreds in 48 matches; Saeed Anwar (Pak) has two tons in 17 matches
• Best averages: Marlon Samuels (WI) has 46.38 average in 18 matches; Misbah-ul-Haq (Pak) has 69.10 average in 17 matches
• Best strike rates: Vivian Richards (WI) has 92.22 strike rate in 41 matches; Umar Akmal (Pak) has 100.58 strike rate in 12 matches
• Most wickets: Curtley Ambrose (WI) has 69 wickets in 44 matches; Wasim Akram (Pak) has 89 wickets in 64 matches.
• Best bowling figures: Franklin Rose (WI) took five for 23 in Kingstown in 2000; Shahid Afridi (Pak) took seven for 12 in Providence in 2013
• Best economy rate: Malcolm Marshall (WI) had an economy rate of 3.61; Abdul Qadir (Pak) has an economy rate of 3.93
• Most five-wicket hauls: Ian Bishop (WI) has two 5-wicket hauls while for Pakistan, Azhar Mahmood, Mudassar Nazar, Shahid Afridi, Waqar Younis and Wasim Akram have one 5-wicket-haul each.

The ODI rivalry between Pakistan and the Windies have always been gripping, even if both teams are now a shadow of their past. The last time they had met in a 50-over affair was during the 2015 World Cup in Australia and Pakistan were hammered by 150 runs on that occasion. It has been quite a while in world cricket since then and both sides will be looking to improve their respective records against the opponents.

Also read- Pakistan v West Indies, 1st T20I Preview: Fresh start for both the teams