Written by: Waseem Abbas
Posted on: December 17, 2021 | 
| 中文
Team Pakistan
It looks as if the Gods of cricket are not in favor of any action in Pakistan in front of packed stadiums. Just three months after the New Zealand cricket team's dramatic return from Pakistan's tour citing a 'mysterious mail' threatening the Blackcaps' players, West Indies also had to cancel Pakistan's tour midway, but this time for a different reason: positive cases of Covid-19 in the visiting team's camp. The English team had also followed the footsteps of New Zealand to withdraw from their scheduled tour of Pakistan in September-October this year. These sudden changes have acted as impedance Pakistan's progress made over the years to bring cricket back home. However, Pakistan's rejuvenated efforts under Rameez Raja seemed to bear fruits as the West Indian team toured Pakistan for a limited-overs series. West Indies’ support in the revival of international cricket in Pakistan is not a secret anymore. It was the first major cricketing nation to tour Pakistan for a full series after the unfortunate 2009 attack on the Sri Lankan team when it toured Pakistan in 2018 for a limited-overs’ series.
West Indian cricket team
This time also, WI played three T20Is against Pakistan and lost all three games. The first match was played on the 13th of December, the second on the 14th, and the 3rd on the 16th of December in the National Stadium Karachi (NSK). The three One-Day internationals, now postpended till June 2022, were scheduled to be played at the same venue; the first on 18th, the second on the 20th, and the third on 22nd of December.
Pakistan has won overall 15 out of 21 completed T20I games against West Indies, 72% of the games. This T20 series was a continuation of Pakistan's domination against the West Indian team, where Pakistan comfortably defeated WI in all three matches.
Harris Rauf bowls to a West Indian batter
Pakistan under Babar Azam has been phenomenal in all three formats of the game. In the recent past, team Pakistan has been on its mission to ward off the impression of being inconsistent and mercurial. As the phrase 'Pakistan Cricket at its best; one minute down, next minute up' summed up its performance in the past, this perception seems to have changed in the recent past. Pakistan has won 29 international matches in 2021 under Babar Azam, equaling Sarfraz Ahmed's record of 29 wins as captain in 2018. After an impressive campaign in the T20 World Cup, Pakistan whitewashed Bangladesh on their home grounds in both Test and T20s before thumping West Indies in all three T20Is played in Karachi's National Stadium.
In the first match against WI, played on the 13th of December, Pakistan belted West Indian bowlers all over the park to set a mammoth target of 201 in 20 overs. Chasing 201, the inexperienced WI side faltered, losing wickets by playing false shots, and were bundled out for a paltry 137. Young Haider Ali and Mister Consistent Muhammad Rizwan shone with the bat, while Shadab Khan and Muhammad Waseem Junior emerged as matchwinners with the bowl. In the second game, Pakistan scored had a reasonably good score of 172 while batting first. West Indies fought back well chasing 173, only to lose by 9 runs. West Indies was very much in the game till the 17th over, when the sensational Shaheen Afridi took three wickets to demolish West Indies' hopes.
Young batter Haider Ali won man-of-the-match award in the first T20I against West Indies
The series ended with a high-scoring encounter between the two teams known for their power-hitting prowess, with WI setting the mammoth target of 207 in 20 overs. Pakistan chased its highest T20 score losing just three wickets with seven balls to spare. Babar and Rizwan's brisk opening stand of 158 runs in 15 overs changed the complexion of the game in favor of Pakistan. Rizwan departed after scoring an eye-catching 87 runs, while Babar scored scintillating 79.
Muhammad Rizwan and Babar Azam
This year has been a trendsetter for T20 for Pakistan. Pakistan has won 20 T20I matches in 2021, the most by any team in a calendar year surpassing its own previous record of 17 games in 2018. It is the 8th T20I series in 2021 where Pakistan whitewashed its opponents. When we talk about individual performances, 2021 has been Rizwan's year. Coming into the year as an emerging cricketer who was trying to prove his mettle, this year has been a dream within a dream for the Peshawar-born cricketer. The superman Rizwan has amassed around 1326 runs in T20Is with 12 fifties and a century in 2021, both fifty-plus scores and the number of runs scored are yet unprecedented in a calendar year.
Dareen Bravo looking at the ball after playing a shot
The odds of the West Indies to win the series against Pakistan were already minimal due to the absence of its big names, the likes of Gayle, Pollard, Russel, Holder and Lewis, due to injuries and personal reasons. Their chances to win a T20 series against Pakistan were further marred by the positive cases of Covid 19 in their camp. So far six cricketers from the West Indian squad have been tested positive for Covid-19, including Sheldon Cottrel, Roston Chase, Kyle Mayers, Akeal Hosein, Shai Hopes, and Justin Greaves. The Series was on the verge of an abrupt cancellation but WI agreed to play the final T20. As an emergency measure, they had to play Darren Bravo in the final T20 who initially was not in the T20 squad. The ODI series has been postpended till June 2022 because WI didn’t want to risk their ICC world cup super league points by playing with a team depleted excessively by injuries and Covid.
Spectators with placards welcoming the West Indian team
While this series was not a tough affair for Pakistan to crack, it has brought many positives to the fore. It was commendable that Pakistan rested or dropped many senior players from this series, so that young players will get the chances to prove their mettle. We saw some glimpses of what Muhammad Nawaz, Muhammad Wasim, Haider Ali and Shahnawaz Dhani are made up of in this series. Despite that the series ended dramatically due to Covid, it quelled the propaganda that Pakistan is not a safe place for sports. Moreover, it was a great opportunity for the residents of the city of lights to enjoy the game in the stadium.
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