West Indies vs Pakistan 2021, 1st Test- Match Preview

The T20 series between Pakistan and West Indies is done and dusted as the focus shifts to red-ball cricket. There wasn’t much to relish during the series as three out of four games were washed out due to rain. Pakistan eventually emerged victorious, winning the series 1-0.

The upcoming two-match Test series will see some new faces from both teams. The first Test match will be played from 12th August to 16th August 2021. Both sides last met in a Test series in 2017 and Pakistan won it by 2-1.

West Indies vs Pakistan 2021, 1st Test- Match Preview

West Indies:

Ahead of a new edition of the World Test Championship, West Indies would be keen to start their campaign on a winning note.

The West Indies last played a Test series against South Africa at home and lost that 2-0. Against a potent South African fast bowling attack, K Brathwaite and Co. struggled to get going. In four innings, they couldn’t cross the 200-run mark on a single occasion.

The likes of K Braithwaite, Shai Hope, and Roston Chase, etc would want to forget that and start afresh.

Their fast bowling unit is perhaps their strongest outfit. Kemar Roach would lead the fast-bowling attack. He took the most wickets for West Indies against South Africa, claiming 9 wickets in 2 Tests at 17.89. Jason Holder will be the other pacer to watch out for.

He, too, was decent with the ball, picking 6 wickets in 2 games at 24.33. Besides, the presence of Jayden Seales and Chemar Holder will keep the team in good stead.

Full Squad:

Kraigg Brathwaite (C), Jermaine Blackwood (VC), Nkrumah Bonner, Shamarh Brooks, Rahkeem Cornwall, Roston Chase, Joshua Da Silva, Jahmar Hamilton, Chemar Holder, Jason Holder, Shai Hope, Alzarri Joseph, Kyle Mayers, Kieran Powell, Kemar Roach, Jayden Seales, Jomel Warrican.

Pakistan:

Meanwhile, Pakistan are coming into the game on the back of two consecutive Test series victory against South Africa and Zimbabwe. They crushed Zimbabwe 2-0 in their last Test series. Abid Ali scored a double-century in the series, while Azhar Ali and Fawad Alam scored respective centuries. Abid Ali finished as the leading run-scorer in the series, amassing 275 runs in 2 Tests.

Hasan Ali and Shaheen Afridi went through Zimbabwe’s bowling attack, having collected 24 wickets together. Hasan Ali finished with the most wickets (14).

To bolster their pace attack, Pakistan have also included the likes of M Abbas and Naseem Shah for the upcoming series. Babar Azam would be confident of claiming their third consecutive Tests series win and thereby start their WTC campaign on a positive note.

Full Squad:

Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Abdullah Shafique, Abid Ali Azhar Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Fawad Alam, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Imran Butt, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Nauman Ali, Sajid Khan, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shahnawaz Dahani, Yasir Shah (subject to fitness), Zahid Mahmood.