VIEUX FORT – Pakistan team manager Intikhab Alam has promised that Caribbean fans will be attracted to the style of play of the visiting Pakistani team. The Pakistanis made a quiet arrival in the Caribbean, when they touched down at the Hewanorra International Airport in the south of this island, but Alam said that belied the style of play fans can expect from his relatively young side.
“I have brought a very young side with me, and I am quite sure you are going to enjoy the type of cricket we are going to play,” he said. “On behalf of the team, I would like to thank everyone for the very warm welcome extended to us. It is always a pleasure to come to the Caribbean. “I have been coming since 1958 and played against some of your greatest cricketers like Sir Garfield Sobers, Rohan Kanhai, Clive Lloyd, and the late Sir Clyde Walcott and Sir Frank Worrell.
“I cherished their friendship, and whenever we met, we talked about old times. I have great regard for your cricketers, and look forward to the next few weeks on this trip.” Pakistan contest a Twenty20 and five One-day Internationals, as well as two Tests against West Indies on their near six-week trip. Intikhab repeated his comments prior to his departure that Pakistan had the potential to be highly successful on their tour.
“The conditions in the West Indies have changed significantly in recent years, and so we believe we have the players to deal with the challenge, particularly our spinners,” he said. The visitors open the tour with a limited-overs match against the University of the West Indies Vice Chancellor’s XI on Monday at the Mindoo Philip Park in the island’s capital of Castries on the northern side of the island.
St. Lucia also hosts a T20 between the Pakistanis and West Indies this coming Thursday at the Beausejour Cricket Ground, where the first two ODIs will be contested on Saturday, April 23 and Monday, April 25.
One more change in Windies’ ODI squad: An illness to rookie wicketkeeper/batsman Devon Thomas has prompted West Indies to make a change to their squad for the first two One-day Internationals against Pakistan. The West Indies Cricket Board announced on Saturday that the 21-year-old Thomas, who has played nine ODIs for the Caribbean side, has been diagnosed with chickenpox and has returned to his homeland of Antigua.
Carlton Baugh Jr, the 28-year-old wicketkeeper/batsman from Jamaica, will replace Thomas in the 13-member squad. Baugh made a return to the side for the Test tour of Sri Lanka last November, and kept his place in the side until he was sidelined by a hamstring injury just ahead of the World Cup, which was recently staged in India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh.
He has however, recovered from the setback, and was part of the home team’s training camp at the West Indies High Performance Centre for the last two weeks in Barbados. Baugh has played 33 ODIs for the Caribbean side in a chequered international career, following his debut eight years ago. He is easily one of the most prolific wicketkeeper/batsmen in West Indies domestic competitions, but he has failed to transform that class into the international arena.
The first ODIs between West Indies and Pakistan take place on Saturday, April 23 and Monday, April 25 at the Beausejour Cricket Ground in the island of St. Lucia. Revised West Indies squad: Darren Sammy (Captain), Dwayne Bravo (Vice Captain), Carlton Baugh, Devendra Bishoo, Darren Bravo, Kirk Edwards, Anthony Martin, Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach, Andre Russell, Marlon Samuels, Lendl Simmons, Devon Smith.
