Emphasis On The Tests

Pakistan have never won a Test Series in the West Indies before during 6 previous visits to the Caribbean shores.

Pakistan and West Indies have played 44 Tests. Pakistan have won 15. West Indies have won 14. 15 have been drawn.

The last time Pakistan visited was in 2005 where the score line was 1-1.

The last time there was a test series between the two teams the score-line was 2-0 in Pakistan's favour during a series in 2006 where Mohammad Yousuf was simply outstanding.

My 4 Key Players from the Pakistan side for the forthcoming test series are as follows:

1) Azhar Ali (backing him to get a 150+ score during the series)
2) Younis Khan
3) Saeed Ajmal
4) Umar Gul

Prediction: 1-0 Pakistan win

Overall, I am unsatisfied and rather unhappy with the results from the LO leg of the tour considering West Indies managed to win 3 out of the 6 LO encounters & this is a second string side too. Pakistan could and should have done better. Nonetheless, let's look ahead & focus on the Test Series with what lies ahead.

Just a few observations worth highlighting. All matches during this series were won by the side batting second. Pakistan have played out a score line of 3-2 either way for the last 4 ODI series they have contested against England, South Africa, New Zealand and now West Indies respectively.

Hafeez is the man

Hafeez looks a really settled player now who is an integral part of the side with his increasingly consistent all round contributions. Many would consider him as the best "all-rounder" and overall cricketer in the current ODI line up nowadays. He deservedly received the MOM for the ODI series. Afridi's discipline, performance & attitude in this whole tour was totally unacceptable. The skipper failed to make any contribution in any department during the series & was totally lacklustre in terms of energy & motivation in the field which is far from what he usually is. His captaincy has been undesirable, his batting has been like a glorified tail ender whereas his bowling has been wicketless for 6 out of the last 7 matches he has played in & returns to a level of mediocrity after a superb World Cup. Hafeez is highly regarded as a possible successor for the captaincy role in the nearby future. He is known for his cricketing knowledge & ability to pass on suggestions which is a more than healthy reference. He has captained successfully domestically so has the necessary skills and exposure. Don't be surprised if you see Hafeez taking up the reigns of ODI captaincy within the next 18 months. For Afridi personally this is a series to forget whereas for Hafeez it is a reflection of how he has grown as a player since his comeback which has been second to none.

Adnan Akmal's exclusion

This was a harsh and totally unfair decision as far as I am concerned. The keeper impressed with his neat & efficient glove work behind the stumps during the 4 Tests he played. He looked extremely tidy. He also made some valuable contributions with the bat. He must be puzzled himself because he did not do much wrong what so ever to be treated and axed in this manner. Whether they are linking his name with the negative image of his brother we shall never know, but as far as cricketing merit goes he can feel hard done by. Nevertheless, let's hope Salman is able to make a positive impression with both gloves & bat as he has now been selected as Pakistan's keeping option in Tests as well. He did well behind the stumps in the ODI series & made a nicely compiled 19* in the 5th ODI on a challenging pitch so there is certainly potential there from the little we have seen of him. He seems very active behind the stumps & reminds many of Pakistan's 1992 WC winning wicket keeper in Moin Khan.

My starting line up would be:

1) Taufiq Umar
2) Mohammad Hafeez
3) Azhar Ali
4) Younis Khan
5) Misbah Ul Haq (C)
6) Asad Shafiq
7) Mohammad Salman
8) Wahab Riaz
9) Umar Gul
10) Junaid Khan over Tanvir Ahmed
11) Saeed Ajmal

Other members of the touring party therefore are: Hammad Azam, Abdur Rehman, Umar Akmal

Can Pakistan Make It 4-1?

What drama was witnessed. Unbelievable stuff. What a game changing moment from Dwayne Bravo to give the Barbados spectators something to celebrate about on a rain intervened May Day which was a national holiday in the region.

Excellent awareness to the situation & brilliant execution in dispatching the rank log hop from the touring skipper into the stands.

The reaction & emotions in the West Indies camp showed how much relief this consolation victory meant to them through Ottis Gibson & Darren Sammy who were very alert, animated & successfully got the message across to the batsmen in the middle.

The West Indies have an opportunity to restore some further respectability by winning on Thursday in Guyana which will conclude the series at 3-2 & considering they won the sole Twenty20 international played in St Lucia on the 21st of April it will be a pretty good showing from their perspective with the inexperience they have, recent results they have had as well as the internal problems they have faced.

However, as far as the tourists are concerned not winning the series at least 4-1 will be termed as a “failure” as they were firm favourites to win the series rather clinically, the in-form momentum they carried as well as their superior position on the ICC ODI rankings system.

Thursday concludes the LO leg of the tour. So far all 4 wins in the series have been registered by the chasing side.

Pakistan have an opportunity to win their 400th ODI which will be a significant land mark. They also have an opportunity to win 4 matches during a single ODI series in the West Indies which they have not achieved during any previous tours to the Caribbean. The first one day international played in Guyana was between West Indies & Pakistan in 1988 which West Indies won. The other time these two teams met in Guyana the result was a tie in 1993.

Avoid dead rubber complacency. Time to get the job done and dusted.

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.

1st ODI Observations

He should have batted at 4 in WC too. The solid batter HAS to be in the top 4. Mohali could have been a different story had Afridi and the management utilised him properly. Prevents pressure building up in the first place. Helps him command the game forward from the front and make a bigger impact as a top class experienced batter. Finally Misbah batted at 4 today. Soild anchor role accumulators who are capable of playing a long innings batting in the top 4 is key to maximise the effectiveness of both them and the team i.e. Trott and Kallis as examples. It is easier to make a bigger impact with more time and responsibility & build the innings that way. The legendary Imran Khan had stressed this point throughout his TV analysis in the World Cup & felt this was a key area why Pakistan were never able to play to their full potential and eventually went on to lose the all important clash on Wednesday 30th March 2011 as the guy pictured was left as an alone warrior with too much to do with too little time.

-Yesterday was exactly a month since the West Indies were outplayed in the 1st quarter final match up played in Dhaka by a humiliating 10 wicket margin. A month later it was the 1st ODI of a 5 match series held in the Caribbean and the outcome was similar. Pakistan outclassed them and eased to victory but this time by a margin of 8 wickets following an unbeaten 134* run 3rd wicket stand between emerging Shafiq and experienced Misbah.

-Pakistan have bowled first in their last 7 LO encounters and chased down the target successfully on 4 occasions.

-Pakistan have won their 6th consecutive ODI against the West Indies overall.

-The spinners just went for 100 runs in their 30 overs: Hafeez, Ajmal, Afridi whereas the left arm pacers went for 111 in their 20 overs: Wahab, Junaid.

-Wahab Riaz bowled 11 wides and 3 no balls in his 10 overs. It was a complete lack of discipline & control from the left arm seamer who sprayed it about all over the place.

-Misbah has scored 6 half centuries in 12 ODI innings this year. 4 of them have come in winning causes & on 3 occasions he has carried the bat through. Misbah reached his 15th ODI half century. 11 of those have come in winning causes.

-There were 3 half centuries in the top 4. Hafeez reached his 9th ODI half century whereas Shafiq reached his 3rd.

-After claiming 21 wickets in the space of 7 matches Afridi has gone wicketless for the last 3 LO encounters.

-Hammad Azam did not get a chance to turn his arm over or bat on his ODI debut.

-1,13, 12,10, 8, 22 are the scores of Ahmed Shehzad in his last 6 ODI innings. In order to keep his place in the national side he simply needs to get his act together and start performing. There might even be a temptation to drop him now and replace him with Pakistan's current Test left hand opener in Taufiq Umar who is part of the 16 man squad on this ODI trip.

-Junaid Khan bowled well in his first spell and generally impressed Michael Holding with his action and follow through. He conceded 23 runs in his first 6 overs & did a pretty good job. He seems to be able to move the ball appreciably away from the right hander and jag it into the left handers. There were some encouraging signs from a player who would have been nervous.

-In 2010 Pakistan won 5 ODIs in the calendar year out of 18 encounters. Misbah was not part of the team with the exception of 2 matches. In 2011 Pakistan have already won 10 ODIs out of 13 he has played in. Since coming into the side this is the difference and impact he has made to the ODI side. The change in fortunes his stature and presence has brought in the side speaks for itself. On current form he is up there amongst one of the best batsmen in the world right now. The New Zealand coach was insisting to his players :" we should learn how to bat like Misbah and take a leaf out of his book." It's pure ignorance to degrade his credentials and role in the LO side at this moment in time.

Junaid Khan First Impressions

Hard to add anything constructive considering it was a Twenty20 match & it was his first game. He produced some good deliveries on a challenging spot & passed the edge on a few occasions. Break it down. Only conceded 2 boundaries in 12 deliveries from a batsmen who took most of the bowlers to the cleaners. 3 runs only from the other 9 balls. Decent & respectable start to hopefully a long and prosperous career. The action was smooth. Pace was pretty good.

Tipping him to take 5 or 6 wickets in the 5 match ODI series which commences tomorrow. We will get a better indication of his promising potential then but for now a steady start indeed.

Things I am Hoping to Witness In the Caribbean Tour.

1) Misbah Ul Haq captaining Pakistan to their first ever Test series win in the Caribbean. Main objective of the tour will be that. Misbah batting at 4 in ODIs and scoring his maiden ODI century.

2) Azhar Ali scoring his maiden Test century.

3) Mohammad Salman performing well as Pakistan's premier keeping option.

4) Wickets and runs for the mouth watering young beauty in Hammad Azam.

5) Junaid Khan bursting on to the scene and capturing the attention of the commentators.

6) Winning all 3 formats.

7) Winning approximately 6/8 of the fixtures overall across all formats.

8) Century from Ahmed Shehzad at some point during the series.

9) One of the youngsters getting the MOTS award in the ODI series i.e. Hammad, Junaid, Umar Akmal, Shehzad, Shafiq.

10) Wahab Riaz/Saeed Ajmal stepping up and leading the attack successfully as Pakistan's strike bowler in the ODIs.