The first T20I of the three-match series between Pakistan and West Indies is set to be played early morning on August 1. The match will start at 5:30 AM IST on Friday and the West Indies will be hoping to return to the winning ways after losing their last five matches to Australia in the recent five-match series.
Shai Hope, the skipper, will be hoping for the batting line-up to step up, which struggled for the entire series against Australia. He expressed his disappointment with the batters as well and hoped that the problem will be resolved sooner rather than later.
As for Pakistan, they also lost for the first time to Bangladesh in the recent T20I series. They lost the series 2-1 on testing pitches and the batters will be keen on making amends. Moreover, Shaheen Afridi's return has bolstered their bowling line-up and the left-arm pacer will be itching to prove his mettle. Meanwhile, Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan continue to be sidelined from the T20I side with only 6-7 months to go for the T20 World Cup.
Florida - Pitch Report
The pitch at Central Broward Regional Park Stadium Turf Ground at Lauderhill in Florida is set to be a decent one for the batters. The venue has hosted a total of 19 T20 matches so far and batting first has been the way to go for teams. The ground has smaller boundary dimensions and it is very much likely that this match will be a high-scoring one. A score around 190-200 might turn out to be par. The side winning the toss is likely to opt to bat first.
Lauderhill, Florida - T20I Numbers Game
Matches Played - 19
Matches won batting first - 11
Matches won bowling first - 5
Average first inns score - 154
Highest total - 245 by WI vs IND
Highest score chased - 179 by IND vs WI
Squads
West Indies Squad: Brandon King, Shai Hope(w/c), Keacy Carty, Sherfane Rutherford, Shimron Hetmyer, Romario Shepherd, Jason Holder, Matthew Forde, Alzarri Joseph, Akeal Hosein, Jediah Blades, Evin Lewis, Roston Chase, Jewel Andrew, Rovman Powell, Gudakesh Motie
Pakistan Squad: Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Mohammad Haris(w), Hasan Nawaz, Salman Agha(c), Hussain Talat, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Khushdil Shah, Fakhar Zaman, Hasan Ali, Sufiyan Muqeem, Abrar Ahmed
