Pakistan head into the second Test in Barbados on Sunday looking to wrap up the series against the West Indies with a match to spare. In order to do that they will need to repeat their win from Jamaica while the West Indies must avoid defeat to keep the series alive heading to Dominica.
West Indies
At times in the first Test the West Indies played some good cricket but then at times they were appalling and therein lies the problem for them. They need to ensure they play their good cricket for longer spells and restrict their appalling stuff. In Test cricket these days even one bad session can be costly.
I thought the West Indies looked decent enough with the ball for the most part in Jamaica but twice their top order didn’t get into their stride and you don’t win Test matches without significant contributions from the upper order these days. Windies need to find a way to get runs against the new ball.
Pakistan
I would have thought if you could have scripted a perfect first Test then Pakistan were somewhere close to it in the opening match. They weren’t perfect by any means but they bowled brilliantly well especially in the second innings and when the opportunity for the kill came they jumped all over it which is the sign of a good side.
Pakistan can be guilty of sloppy sessions of their own especially with the bat but there were little sign of that coming along in Jamaica which will be encouraging. They need to ensure they maintain their focus throughout this match and they should be able to seal the series win and send Misbah off in style.
Team News
West Indies’ batting line up just didn’t function in the first Test and you would think Jermaine Blackwood would come into the side for one of the two debutants from the first game.
Pakistan were talking about bringing in a second spinner but whether they go through with that or not remains to be seen. I wouldn’t be completely surprised if they were unchanged.
Kensington Oval
This is one of the great grounds of world cricket. Kensington Oval will be hosting Test cricket for the 52nd time this week. West Indies have a good overall record here with 23 wins and 17 draws from the previous 51 games here. Pakistan will be looking for a first win from seven outings at this venue.
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Betting
Just the one bet for me in this match. I might do another preview as the match goes on with a bet on the outcome if the right odds present themselves but for now I’m sticking with a player performance.
The player is Yasir Shah who has a low looking line at 100.5. He covered that in the second innings alone in the first Test but really West Indies never showed much in the way of a clue how to play him. There is talk of the wicket being drier than usual here which should suit the leggie too. He’ll add some points with the bat as well so I like the over here.
Tips
WON – Back Y.Shah’s Performance – Over 100.5pts for a 4/10 stake at 1.83 with Paddy Power
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