KARACHI: Pakistan will be playing their first Test series on the Caribbean soil on Wednesday against West Indies.
A victory in the third and final Test underway at Windsor Park in Dominica will give a perfect farewell to the legendary duo of Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan.
Misbah and Younis will retire after the third test which should add to the troubles of Pakistan to win the series. Currently the contest is 1-1 and a win in Dominica will give Pakistan their first ever Test victory on the Caribbean soil.
The momentum is with the West Indians who leveled the series by a triumph in the second Test at Barbados with a lead of 106 runs.
Windsor Park will be hosting the fifth Test in its history which will be a winner-takes-all encounter.
The result of the last match was yet another drawback for Pakistan and would have reignited the memories of their implosion at the MCG against Australia.
The scoring rates of both teams remained between 2 and 3 runs per over for most of the second Test. Both teams will be looking to improve in all areas, especially in the fielding.
Shannon Gabriel of West Indies who started the Test by bowling 6 no-balls in a day, put a salubrious performance by claiming five wickets in the second innings.
Another take from the second Test was the performance of Shai Hope who scored his first fifty and fell short of a maiden ton for the Windies.
The West Indies batting relies heavily on the performance of Roston Chase whose Second Test century kept the West Indies in the game. Same can be said for Pakistan who rely on world class batting talents in Babar Azam and the legendary duo of Younis and Misbah but would need to prevent batting collapses.
Pakistani bowlers have proven difficult for the West Indies but another performance from leg-spinner Shadab Khan would be intriguing.
Misbah and Younis will receive a big farewell if Pakistan win their first series in the Caribbean but West Indies will not roll over as they have a chance to claim their first win over an established nation since 2005.
Hope has proven his talent into performance in the longest format therefore West Indies will want him to stand up and lead the young middle order.
Gabriel needs to improve on his no-ball problem and become consistent in his performance.
Misbah and Younis will both be playing their final Test and will certainly be determined to lead Pakistan to victory.
Mohammad Amir has been getting back to his best in this series and if his progress continues the West Indies could be in for a Testing time in Dominica.
Squads:
Pakistan: Misbah-ul-Haq (captain), Ahmed Shehzad, Azhar Ali, Shan Masood, Babar Azam, Younis Khan, Asad Shafiq, Sarfraz Ahmed (w), Usman Salahuddin, Yasir Shah, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Asghar, Mohammad Amir, Wahab Riaz, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Abbas.
West Indies: Jason Holder (captain), Devendra Bishoo, Jermaine Blackwood, Kraigg Brathwaite, Roston Chase, Miguel Cummins, Shane Dowrich (wk), Shannon Gabriel, Shimron Hetmyer, Shai Hope, Alzarri Joseph, Kieran Powell, Vishaul Singh.
