Pakistan vs West Indies, 2nd T20I: Imad Wsaim vs Dwayne Bravo and other key battles

After dominating in he first Twenty20 International (T20I) and winning it with ease, Pakistan are all set to face West Indies in the second T20I at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. The two teams are set to play three T20Is followed by three One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and three Tests in the tour. Pakistan, at their second home, got the start they wanted as they registered an easy victory excelling in all the departments. Beating the reigning world champions in the format, the hosts will be brimming with confidence to head to the next and win the series 2-0 straight away.

In the first match, West Indies’ long batting failed to perform at all. None of the batsmen apart from Dwayne Bravo could do justice with the bat, resulting in a dismal total. The team lost their top four batsmen within 17 runs playing only 3.4 overs and it was Bravo who walked out to bat at No. 5 and scored the crucial runs to push the score beyond 100. Unlike his natural style of aggressive cricket, Bravo played a composed innings and took his time to score a 54-ball 55. Apart from Bravo, only Jerome reached double digit scores as he scored a run-a-ball 21. Pakistan bowlers ran through the West Indies batting totally and ended their run with only 115 on the board.

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Among the Pakistan bowlers, Imad Wasim remained the most successful. In UAE’s favourable conditions, the spinner picked up 5 for 14, dismissing names like Marlon Samuels and skipper Carlos Brathwaite. All the bowlers remained economical apart from Hasan Ali who gave away too many runs. Sohail Tanvir bagged a couple of wickets and Hasan and Mohammad Nawaz got one each.

Getting to the target seemed to be a cakewalk for the hosts. Sharjeel Khan and Khalid Latif started hitting fearlessly from the very start looking to end things early. Sharjeel departed for 22 while Latif remained unbeaten at 34. Babar Azam was the man with the bat as he scored a 37-ball 55 to get Pakistan to the desired runs and end things for West Indies with 5.4 overs still remaining. Samuel Badree was the only bowler to get a wicket for West Indies.

The second West Indies comes in a do or die situation for West Indies as they need to win this match to stay valid in the series. Pakistan, on the other hand, will have the mental advantage of confidence. Before the crucial second T20I, here are some key battles that can be expected.

Wahab Riaz vs Evin Lewis: Wahab is one of the most experience players in the Pakistan side. He has delivered many match winning spells for the team but is not able to find his sync lately. The bowler went wicketless in the first T20I and will be hungry to pick up a couple or more to become the important member of the squad. The bowler has potential and that he has shown to the world. If the bowler manages to pull off a disciplined spell, it will be difficult for the opposition to survive it.

Evin Lewis on the other hand has been quite a successful opener for West Indies lately. Though the player has not played as much cricket as Wahab, he has shown promises of becoming one of West Indies’ regular squad members and a perfect batsman. Facing Wahab will be a challenge for the batsman as it will test his skills against experience.

Dwayne Bravo vs Imad Wasim: Dwayne Bravo is one of the finest contemporary all-rounders to have proved himself time and again. Though West Indies lost the match, Bravo stood there like a rock and played an inspiring knock that showed the amount of confidence and talent the player has within.

Imad on the other hand is the most promising all-rounders that the Pakistan team has come up with. The player impressed everyone with his standout performance in the ODI series in England and carrying that form into this series as well, showing everyone that he is here to stay for long. However, though he bagged a 5-for in the first match, Imad is yet to tame the power named Bravo and will definitely look to complete his hunt this time.

Samuel Badree vs Mohammad Nawaz: Badree was among the heroes who were behind West Indies’ successful run in the ICC World T20 2016. The spinner is one of the assets for the team and has performed consistently. While all teh other bowlers failed in the last match, he managed to outwit Sharjeel. With just one wicket so far, Badree will surely look to increase the number in the second.

Nawaz is one of the players who are new to the side. It is a learning phase for the player and so far he has done a commendable job, matching steps with seniors to maintain the consistency and claim a spot in the side. However, he will look to pull off a heroic similar to that of Imad to make him one of the dependable ones in the side.

(Paulami Chakraborty, a singer, dancer, artist, and photographer, loves the madness of cricket and writes about the game. She can be followed on Twitter at @Polotwitts)

(Paulami Chakraborty, a singer, dancer, artist, and photographer, loves the madness of cricket and writes about the game. She can be followed on Twitter at @Polotwitts)