For the second time in six months the West Indies and Pakistan are about to embark on a Test series. After Pakistan beat the West Indies 2-1 in the UAE towards the end of last year the two sides now do battle in the Caribbean over the same three match format.
Schedule
1st Test – April 21-25 at Jamaica
2nd Test – April 30 – May 4 at Barbados
3rd Test – May 10-14 at Dominica
West Indies
You need to go right the way back to 2012 for the last time the West Indies beat anyone other than Bangladesh or Zimbabwe in a Test series which immediately highlights the size of their task here without even factoring in the hefty beating that they took in the UAE last year. It would be a huge moment if the Windies can win the series.
If they are to do that then they are going to have to bat well. They are going to have to find a way to get through the spells with the new ball and then accumulate decent first innings totals else this will be another tough series. On the bright side they have got a bowling attack which can be competitive if given the runs to play with.
Pakistan
Since that win over the West Indies in the UAE it has been a tough winter for Pakistan. They have been to New Zealand and Australia and lost all five Test matches that they played. In fairness they were in good positions in a couple of those matches but surrendered them and they will be aiming to ram home any dominant periods in this series.
Pakistan have a bowling attack to rival most in the world and that is in any conditions but what they can be guilty of is loose sessions with the bat which undoes all their hard work. They need to make sure they bat well in this series and if they manage to do that then they should get into a position to win Misbah’s farewell series.
Head to Head
These two nations have played 16 Test series through the years with each of them having five wins and there being six draws. In the Caribbean the West Indies are undefeated in series with four wins and three draws from seven series. Pakistan will be looking to create history over the next month and win their first series in the Caribbean.
In terms of matches Pakistan have the edge overall with 18 wins and 15 draws in the 49 Tests the two have played against each other.
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Betting
There is only one bet which interests me heading into this series and it comes in the form of the Pakistan bowling market. As for the series itself I expect Pakistan to win but I’m reluctant to get too stuck into short prices either for them to nail the series or a correct score because they are always prone to a terrible session which messes them up.
The bowler I’m interested in is Yasir Shah which is probably no surprise. Shah took 21 wickets in the three match series in the UAE which was more than double what anyone else got for Pakistan. Shah has already been picking up wickets in the warm up match and with the tracks in the Caribbean much slower these days I think the talented leggie is going to be a nightmare to face on these wickets.
Tips
WON – Back Y.Shah Top Pakistan Series Bowler for a 3/10 stake at 2.50 with Bet365
Back him here:
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