 The
first Test match between West Indies and Pakistan will begin from the May 12 at
Providence Stadium in Guyana. This follows the T20I which was won by the
West Indies and the ODI series which Pakistan won 3-2 after having
taken a 3-0 lead in the series.
It has been an interesting last few days for the two sides. Both have been involved
in controversies and will be looking to overcome them when they take on each other
at the start of the series.
Click for Live Score Card of Pakistan Vs West Indies
The West Indian side had an issue with the axeing of Shivnarine Chanderpaul.
Chanderpaul complained to the West Indian cricket board for maligning his name
and while the board did not clarify what their stance was, there is no doubt
that they seem to have accepted their mistakes and will now look to select Chanderpaul
till he keeps performing. The surface tension remains though and it will be
interesting to see how he and the rest of the side takes it.
On the other hand, the Pakistanis have been embroiled in yet another controversy.
It started with their chief selector Mohsin Khan wanting to resign from the
panel before being convinced not to do so before meeting the chief of the PCB,
Ejaz Butt. However, this was just the beginning of the problems for Pakistan,
as their captain roared in anger over the issues with the coach, Waqar Younis.
Afridi had complained that he was circumvented when the players were selected
and that Waqar Younis was interfering a little too much when the sides were being
selected. The PCB has now sought an explanation from Afridi over his speaking
to the media about the internal matters and he will need to explain his position.
The good news, though, for Pakistan is that Afridi is now back in Pakistan
because he does not play in this Test match format of the game. The side is
led by the more amenable Misbah ul Haq and that is where the side will
look to overcome their issues in the past and get on with the game.
It will be vital for them to win the game to begin with given the kind of tension
that exists between the players. A win will put all of that behind them.
Pakistan will be favourites and one hopes that the pitch will have something for
the bowlers as well.
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