West Indies vs Pakistan: 1st T20I, July 28, 2021, Pakistan Tour of West Indies Match Prediction

Match Predictions

The bumper home season for the West Indies continues. After South Africa and Australia, it is time for Pakistan to travel to the Caribbean. The tour kicks off with the T20I series at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados.

West Indies have been in good form in T20 cricket this year. They have won eight and lost five in 2021 in T20Is. Three of those five losses came in the series against South Africa where they were very inconsistent. They lost that series 2-3 before bouncing back in style against Australia where they beat them 4-1 and that despite the absence of a few key players. West Indies showed their might with the bat and their power is known to the world. It is no secret that West Indies’ strength lies in their powerful batting line-up and they can chase down or post any total. However, in the series against South Africa and Australia, they also showed how effective they can be with the ball as well. Thus, Kieron Pollard and co will be looking to continue the good run and build some good momentum ahead of the all-important T20 World Cup later this year where they defend their title.

On the other hand, Pakistan’s form in T20Is has also been quite good. Like West Indies, even they have eight wins and five losses in T20Is in 2021. They recorded series win over South Africa (twice – 2-1 at home and 3-1 away) and Zimbabwe (2-1) before going down against England 1-2. Pakistan’s all-round game has been top-notch and they have some reliable players throughout their line-up. With the bat, they have the consistency of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan and that along with a solid bowling attack is their biggest strength.

Hence, these are two in-form teams with some solid line-ups. However, West Indies might just start as slight favourites given their power and might in T20 cricket. But don’t count Pakistan out and they can turn the tables on any given day. Moreover, remember, they have a far superior head-to-head record against West Indies which they lead 11-3.

Summary

Pakistan have been absolutely dominant in this T20I rivalry against West Indies. These two sides have faced each 14 times in the history of T20I cricket and Pakistan have ended up winning 11 of those games while West Indies have won just three. Since the start of 2016, West Indies have beaten Pakistan in T20Is only once. Moreover, West Indies have won just one bilateral T20I series against Pakistan which was way back in 2011 and that was a one-off game. Since then, Pakistan have won 2-0, 3-0, 3-1 and 3-0 in bilateral series.