Pakistani cricket team has gone on their latest tour of the Caribbeans after a successful trip to India. The West Indies, like the past few years are still struggling to upgrade their performance and it is the best opportunity for Pakistan to earn a Test series win in the Caribbeans, which Pakistan has never done before. Pakistan may find it a bit difficult without their best pacemen Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Sami but the tactic here applied by the team management seems to test the Windies by the spin of regulars like Danish Kaneria and Arshad Khan and the threatening part-timer like Shahid Afridi.
According to a statement by Inzamam who will miss the first test along with Shoaib Malik, he wants to control the supreme form of Brian Charles Lara, who is the biggest threat to any opposition. The Pakistan teams morale is very high after their successful Indian tour and the Windies are a heart-broken side, after being thrashed once again by the Proteas in both versions of the game.
The positive thing for Pakistani team is that the West Indian bowling is weaker than the last time
Pakistan visited the Banana Island when they had two legends viz Ambrose and Walsh. But there is still some spark in the bowling due to presence of young guns like Fidel Edwards, Tino Best and Darren Powell. The West Indies will try to take full advantage of the absence of Inzamam in the first Test, whose contribution in the recent Indian series was substantial. And a victory in the first Test by the home side will shatter the dreams of a maiden Test series win by the Pakistanis in the Caribbeans.
Anyway, the Pakistani bowlers will have to be aware of the fact that though the West Indian cricket team has not been at its best lately their players like Chris Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Dwayne Smith and the cricketing icon Brian Lara can really turn the tables in their favour once they click, and since Pakistan is without their genuine pace attack who knows what the Windies may end up with their unexpected performance.
But, it seems quite obvious that the difference between the two sides on paper may be Brian Lara but I think Shahid Afridi may be the man who may make all the difference. The West Indian bowlers are not experienced and have raw pace and it will be interesting to see Afridi playing naturally against them. Salman Butt, who has emerged as a solid and reliable batsman, would have to maintain his form because playing in the Caribbeans is a unique experience for every international player.
For the people in the islands cricket is a religion. They love it and the way they support their side cannot be seen anywhere in the world. Yusuf Youhana and Younus Khan will have to play key roles in the series in general and the first Test in particular. Lara has been in supreme form over the last year or so and who knows that what he might be up to in this series. The Windies need a series win badly and they will give all that they have got to get some glory and respect.
The Pakistan cricket team will have to show consistency in all parts of the game to write their names in the record books just like what England did last year in the West Indies.
An appropriate game plan will be necessary not just against masters like Lara but against talent and experience of Gayle, Sarwan, Smith and Chanderpaul. The batsmen need to back up the bowlers and the bowlers will need to support their batsmen.
The fielding should always be the best for the bowlers because you need cent percent commitment to achieve what no Pakistani team has ever achieved before though they had the likes of Zaheer Abbas, Javed Miandad, Imran Khan and Wasim Akram, to name a few.
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