West Indies vs Pakistan, 1st T20I: Fantasy Preview

West Indies and Pakistan will face off in a T20I after a gap of over three years at the Kensington Oval at Bridgetown, Barbados on Wednesday (July 28). The series, which was initially going to be a five-match affair, was slashed a match in order to accommodate Windies’ final ODI against Australia that was rescheduled due to COVID-19.

Pakistan will go into the match with a positive mindset after losing the T20I series against England by fine margins while the Windies will be hoping to seal back-to-back T20I series after beating Australia 4-1 earlier.

Head-to-Head

Total: 14 | Pakistan: 11 | West Indies: 3

Last five matches: Pakistan: 4 | West Indies: 1

Ground Details and Team Combination

Since 2019, the Kensington Oval has hosted five T20s where teams batting first have posted an average score of 149 while the average chase total is 119. A good mix of pace and spin, along with the extra option of a part-time spinner is the best combination to go since both departments are separated by just five wickets. Pacers have claimed 41 wickets at a strike rate of 15.3 while spinners have 35 wickets at a better strike of 14.1. Spinners also have the better economy of 6 compared to the 7.7 of pacers.

Suggested Team

While you could go for the above team, you also have the option of choosing your own team from Cricket.com’s Fantasy Research Centre. You can use this tool to build your team with the help of algorithms. Based on your preferences, the platform will guide you to create the ideal fantasy XI.

Captain

Mohammad Rizwan has been in sensational touch over the past few months in the Pakistan Super League and for the national team. He is Pakistan’s leading run-scorer in T20Is this year, with 706 runs from 13 innings include seven fifties and a hundred, which are crucial in the opening role.

Our Criclytics Player Projector predicts Rizwan could score 40-60 runs in the first T20I

X-Factor

Hasan Ali has made a superb comeback to the national team fold with excellent performances in the tour of England. The pacer is capable of getting you wickets on any surface due to the wide array of deliveries at his disposal. He is also capable of slowing down the opposition’s scoring at crucial moments of the innings.

Our Criclytics Player Projector predicts Ali could pick up 0-1 wickets in the first T20I

Obed McCoy has been impressive in the recent series against South Africa, Sri Lanka, and Australia picking up 18 wickets in 10 matches with a good economy of 7.1. He is an asset for the team with the new ball and at the death with his variation, including a superb slow ball, to bamboozle the batsmen.

Our Criclytics Player Projector  predicts McCoy could pick up 2-3 wickets in the first T20I

Evin Lewis is a man of breezy starts alongside Andre Fletcher which has often allowed Chris Gayle to play enforcer after the power play. The left-hander also has the situational awareness to pace his innings which allows West Indies to go ballistic from the start.

Our Criclytics Player Projector  predicts Lewis could score 31-47 runs in the first T20I

Probable XIs

West Indies: Evin Lewis, Andre Fletcher, Chris Gayle, Nicholas Pooran, Andre Russell, Kieron Pollard, Sheldon Cottrell, Oshane Thomas, Kevin Sinclair, Hayden Walsh, Obed McCoy.

Pakistan: Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Sohaib Maqsood, Fakhar Zaman, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Hafeez, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain, Usman Qadir.