West Indies vs Pakistan, 2nd Test: Fantasy Preview

West Indies and Pakistan clash once again in the second Test of the two-match series at Sabina Park, Kingston, Jamaica. West Indies won the first Test by a closely-fought one-wicket margin to kick start their new campaign in the World Test Championship (WTC) cycle. Pakistan, on the other hand, had their chances, but could not finish the job.

It has been close to 15 years since the last time these two teams played out a draw. While West Indies have a slender lead in the last five Tests, overall, it is Pakistan who have won more matches than their opponents.

Tests head-to-head

Overall: Matches 58 | West Indies 18 wins | Pakistan 20 | Draws 15

Last five matches: West Indies 3 wins | Pakistan 2 wins

Suggested teams

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. Based on algorithms, we have come up with one team.

Ground details

There has been very little on offer for the spinners at Sabina Park. Since 2019, the pacers have picked up over 88 percent of the wickets at this venue. In fact, in the first Test, the spinners failed to pick up even a single wicket. Hence, it would be best if you stock your teams with pacers, with maybe an all-round spin option.

In this time period, the pacers have struck every 18.9 runs and 43.2 deliveries apart. However, the corresponding numbers for the spinners are 58.4 and 117 respectively. Needless to say, that the stats are also skewed overwhelmingly in favour of the pacers.

Captain

Giving up captaincy has not affected Jason Holder’s performance in any way. The all-rounder struck a vital fifty in the first innings of the first Test and with the ball, he chipped in with four wickets, making him an excellent choice to lead your side. Since Kraigg Brathwaite replaced Holder as captain, the West Indies all-rounder has 246 runs at 30.75 and with the ball he has struck 17 times at 19.88, further proving why he is the No. 1 ranked all-rounder in the world.

Our Criclytics player projector predicts Holder could fetch 84-142 points in this match.

X-Factors

Kemar Roach has been the pick of the West Indies bowlers since 2020. In his 10 tests during this period, he has picked up 36 wickets at 26.65. He held his nerves to win West Indies the game with the bat, but there’s little doubt about his prowess with the ball, which is getting better and better with each passing match. He is deadly especially in the initial stages of the match. He has picked up 10 wickets at 18 in the first 10 overs of the innings since 2020 with only Shaheen Afridi (12) and Stuart Broad (13) ahead of him.

Our Criclytics player projector predicts Roach could fetch 100-151 points in this match.

No Pakistan batsman has scored more than Azhar Ali (734) in Tests since 2020. He has got off to plenty of starts in his last 10 innings, but managed to convert that into a big one just once – 126 vs Zimbabwe in Harare. Azhar puts a price on his wicket every time he steps out to the middle and tends to occupy the crease for a long time. He will hope that he manages to turn that into big scores in this crucial Test.

Our Criclytics player projector predicts Azhar could fetch 59-125 points in this match.

Since returning to the Test side this year after a two-year gap, Hasan Ali has been a revelation with the ball. He has picked up 30 wickets at 15.06 in this period, which includes four five-wicket haul and a 10-wicket haul in a match against South Africa. The new-improved Hasan Ali managed to pick up four crucial wickets in the first Test and played a little cameo in the second innings to help stretch Pakistan’s lead, which almost turned out to be enough. The Pakistan pacer was overshadowed by Shaheen Afridi in the previous Test, but played a significant part in it nevertheless.

Our Criclytics player projector predicts Hasan could fetch 120-167 points in this match.