3-0 Pakistan BUT What Next?

Pakistan have sealed the ODI series (3-0) in Barbados yesterday. 2 dead rubbers are to follow in due course. Pakistan have also successfully defeated the West Indies in 2005 during their tour of the Caribbean then 3-0 and there was an identical score line in 2008 during a home series played in the United Arab Emirates. During West Indies tour of Pakistan in 2006 they also ended up losing the ODI series 3-1 with one match affected by rain. Pakistan continues to demonstrate their dominance over the West Indies in ODIs played this decade.

The last time West Indies defeated their current sub continental visitors was during a preliminary group fixture in the 2007 World Cup.

West Indies have now lost 8 consecutive ODIs against Pakistan who have won 12 out of their last 15 ODIs played this year which includes an ODI series victory in New Zealand after 17 years, a 6th appearance in a World Cup semi final and now a series victory against the West Indies in the Caribbean with 2 games to spare & a whitewash on the cards.

Today is also their 13th victory overall across all formats this year within 20 encounters which was the total sum of victories across all formats in 2010 with the exception of 13 victories coming in 45 encounters during that calendar year. This evidently goes to reflect how the fortunes of the team have changed in 2011 in comparison to the horrific year of 2010 which was dominated by a mixture of on field woefulness & uncountable controversies which put the state of Pakistan Cricket in absolute disarray.

The manner in which they have fought back, surprised many & rejuvenated their spirits and performances has been all but admirable & now they are beginning to make some confident positive forward strides after losing a large segment of their fan base rather rapidly in 2010.

I am looking forward to the remainder of the tour with the focus on the 2 Tests which are to be held in Guyana and St Kitts respectively & provide a golden opportunity to create some history & claim some significant silverware & a potential rise in the rankings. The whole red cherry episode gets under way on the 12th of May. Pakistan will enter the series having lost only 1 out of their last 4 Test series contested & an undefeated record under their current skipper.

In short, well done for now, but a lot of hard work lies ahead with tougher assignments to follow. Nonetheless, the fan base should be confident. The batting line up in the test arena is looking strong, compact, dependable & consistent of reaching 120+ over mark to post competitive scores (320-350+) & keep everything under control & in full command, showing fighting resilience to play out long sessions and come back hard from behind as well as making the opposition genuinely sweat/frustrated with the level of application, temperament & occupational resilience from the top 6 which has been a revelation: Hafeez, Taufiq, Azhar, Younis, Misbah, Asad . They will enjoy themselves on the flat pitches against a lacklustre bowling attack and are bound to do well if they play as they have been doing. Spin will be a crucial area considering West Indies struggles and the nature of the pitches & this is an area where West Indies can be made to sink after runs have been piled up. Ajmal will hold the “X” factor with the ball. The pace attack is certainly workable with the likes of Umar Gul & Wahab Riaz who are continuously growing in stature.