WEST INDIES VS. PAKISTAN: PAK’S TOUR OF WI 2021, 3rd T20 | MATCH PREDICTION AND FANTASY CRICKET TIPS
Hosts West Indies take on Pakistan in the third T20 of the 4-match series at the Guyana National Stadium in Providence on Sunday morning.
West Indies struggled to find momentum in their innings and fell 7 runs short of the target in the second T20. Chasing a target of 158 runs, the hosts got off to a slow start and kept losing wickets at crucial intervals. Only after Nicholas Pooran came to the crease in the second half of the innings did the chase get any momentum. Bowling first, the Windies pacers Jason Holder and Dwayne Bravo delivered splendid performances to restrict Pakistan to a modest total despite a good start.
On the other hand, Pakistan registered a morale-boosting win, courtesy of excellent performances from captain Babar, wicketkeeper Rizwan and Mohammad Hafeez. The top order of the visitors was in outstanding form as they reached 113 runs for the loss of just 1 wicket in 14 overs. However, a late-innings collapse led to a lower total than projected. The bowlers made up for that collapse with their tight lines and lengths, which did not let the power-hitters of the hosts hit freely.
West Indies will be hurting after a close loss and will take the field looking for revenge in an exciting game of T20 cricket at the Guyana National Stadium on Sunday.
Match Details
- Match: West Indies vs. Pakistan, 3rd T20
- Venue: National Stadium, Guyana
- Date & Time: Aug. 1, 2021, at 8:30 PM IST/11 AM Local
Probable Playing XI
West Indies
Andre Fletcher, Evin Lewis, Chris Gayle, Shimron Hetmyer, Nicholas Pooran (WK), Dwayne Bravo, Kieron Pollard (C), Andre Russell, Hayden Walsh Jr, Romario Shepherd, Akeal Hosein
Pakistan
Sharjeel Khan, Mohammad Rizwan (WK), Babar Azam (C), Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Maqsood, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Usman Qadir, Shaheen Afridi
Weather and Pitch Report
The weather is expected to be mostly cloudy in Guyana with a few rain interruptions during the match. The temperature will be around 30 degrees during the game.
The pitch at the Guyana Sammy Stadium is generally a slow track. The batters will have to take their time before going for big shots later in the innings. As the match progresses, the spinners are expected to play a big role with the slowness of the surface coming into play. The average first-innings score in the last five T20Is played here has been 139 runs.
Given the recent record at this venue, expect the captain winning the toss to opt to field first. A first-innings score of around 160 runs can be a competitive one on this surface.
Top Fantasy Picks
West Indies
- Ewin Lewis looked in ominous form before being retired hurt. He hit some big shots in his innings of 35 runs, including 2 fours and 2 sixes. He has the potential to win games single-handedly and will be looking for a big score in this match.
- Nicholas Pooran has been in good form in the recent matches. Backing his 59-run innings in the ODI against Australia, he looked the most dangerous of all the Windies batters in the second T20. He hit 4 boundaries and 6 sixes in his 33-ball stay at the crease, scoring 62 runs.
- Jason Holder was rested from some matches of the South Africa series and the whole Australia series. He took 2 wickets in three innings, which are pretty average returns for a whole-class all-rounder. He made a big comeback in the second T20, taking a career-best 4 for 26.
Pakistan
- Mohammad Rizwan has continued his phenomenal form in the T20 format for Pakistan this year. He has scored more than 1200 runs in 27 matches at an average of 65.89 and a strike rate of 135.42. He will look to add more to this list here.
- Babar Azam made a brilliant half century before an ill-timed dismissal led to the batting collapse of Pakistan. He scored 51 runs off 40 balls, including 4 boundaries and 2 sixes. He bettered his good record against the West Indies, scoring 454 in 11 innings including 4 fifties.
- Hasan Ali continues to have a good 2021, with 17 wickets in 10 T20Is. He took the dangerous wicket of Chris Gayle and did not give away easy runs in the final overs. Moreover, he is very handy with the bat lower down the order.
Howzat Dream Team
- Wicketkeeper: M Rizwan, N Pooran
- Batsmen: E Lewis, F Zaman, B Azam
- All-rounders: J Holder, D Bravo, M Hafeez
- Bowlers: A Hosein, H Ali, S Afridi
- Captain: N Pooran/D Bravo
- Vice Captain: B Azam/S Afridi
NOTE: The Howzat dream team above is just a suggestion. You can make your fantasy 11 and play fantasy cricket matches. Also, don’t forget to make any necessary changes to your team once the actual playing 11 is announced by each team (30 minutes before the start of the match) as some players you have selected might not be part of the team suggested.
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