Pakistan v West Indies: 5 Youngsters to watch out for

West Indies are set to face the re-vitalized Pakistan side in a matter of few days when both teams meet to play against each other in the 1st T20I at Dubai International Stadium. The tour comprises of 3 Tests and as many ODIs and T20s, including the day-night pink ball Test. Both the teams had mixed results in their last respective series. Pakistan played against England in their own backyard. They drew the Test series bravely but only to lose the ODI series in a humiliating manner. However, the Pakistanis did find some consolation in the form of a satisfying victory on the only T20I afterwards and returned home pretty much satisfied. The West Indies also had a somewhat bitter-sweet time when they hosted India last month. The Test series resulted in drubbing but they managed to pocket the T20I series played in the USA to regain some respect. Both the teams have made exciting changes in their team, recalling a few seniors and adding some fresh spirit in the form of young names. Both the side have some young guns with then and this makes this series certainly an exciting one. Here are the 5 Youngsters to watch out for: 1. Alzarri Joseph: Alzarri Joseph. / AFP / Randy BROOKS (Photo credit RANDY BROOKS/AFP/Getty Images) Alzarri Joseph, the young fast bowler, has gained a good reputation since his Under 19 days. The right arm fast bowler played a crucial role in West Indies’ Under – 19 World Cup win earlier this year. He was someone distinctly bowled with raw pace and was quick to grab the attention of Ian Bishop who asked everyone to take notice of him. There was a good reason why an ex-fast bowler like Bishop was impressed by him. Joseph was able to clock 145 kph regularly. Bishop was right and predicted the correct thing. Joseph made a mark for himself in the CPL 2016 and was included in the team midway through the Test series against India recently. Going by the kind of rise he was experienced in his cricketing career he is surely someone who deserves to be the man under the spotlight. 2. Nicholas Pooran: Nicholas Pooran of Barbados Tridents. (Photo By Randy Brooks/Sportsfile via Getty Images) If there is any young batsman in the West Indies who can quickly make a permanent spot in the explosive batting order, then it has to be Nicholas Pooran. He fills two voids at once – He is a hard hitting batsman and a quality wicket-keeper. West Indies, as far as one knows, have never really had a guy who could play the role of an aggressive wicket-keeper batsman on a long term basis. His numbers have been wonderful in the past couple of years. The 20-year-old first grabbed the limelight in the 2014 Under-19 World Cup. Later he made waves in the domestic circuit before placing a strong bet for national selection with his performances in this year’s Caribbean Premier League where he scored 217 runs in 8 innings for Barbados Tridents at a stellar strike rate of 197. In his first season of professional cricket in 18 months following a career-threatening car accident in 2015, Pooran justified his selection thoroughly and finished with the highest strike among any batsmen who had scored more than 30 balls. These performances were very hard to ignore and he finally received his call. 3. Rovman Powell: Rovman Powell of Jamaica Tallawahs. (Photo By Randy Brooks/Sportsfile via Getty Images) Rovman Powell, the 23-year-old fast bowling all-rounder from Jamaica, is also another young name who has taken giant strides in his career lately. Powell was an unknown individual until he made his CPL debut for the Chris Gayle led Jamaica Tallawahs. It was a mixed time for him in the tournament where he was able to muster 228 runs in 13 matches but did not get regular opportunities to bowl. However, his show still caught the eyes of the selectors. Spending time with the likes of Gayle, Russell and Sangakarra would have certainly helped him gain immense knowledge about international cricket. He is close to realizing his ultimate dream of representing West Indies and the upcoming tour will be the chance for him to implement these things on-field and deliver to the promises which he has been showing in the past couple of year. 4. Mohammad Nawaz: Pakistan’s Mohammad Nawaz. (Photo credit OLI SCARFF/AFP/Getty Images) For Mohammad Nawaz, it will be his chance to settle down in the team after a confidence shattering debut UAE in the Asia Cup T20 where he was hit for 26 runs in 3 overs. Since then he has been able to play only one T20I and 5 ODIs. Nawaz is the product of the ambitious Pakistan Super League which had its inaugural season this year. The left-arm spinning all-rounder, who quit his studies to focus on cricket, made his first-class debut in 2012 and was picked by Quetta Gladiators. He did well in both the departments taking 13 wickets with his left-arm spin including his best bowling figures of 4/9 and scoring 120 runs batting in the lower middle order. He was a part of the limited overs team which played against England recently and it seems that the selectors are pretty serious about developing him into a reliable player for the future. 5. Rumman Raees: (Photo Source: Crictales.com) Raees was quite unfortunate to have missed on making debut earlier when he was added to the 2016 ICC World T20 squad, but had to stay out due to a knee injury. However, Raees made a quick recovery and was back to the domestic circuit. He was also the member of the ODI squad during the England tour but didn’t get a game to make his debut. But, he continued to impress and had a successful time in the National T20 Cup which kept him in the limelight. Consequently, Raees earned another call-up and should be able to make his debut in the upcoming series. It will be really difficult to sneak inside the playing XI which already has really good fast bowlers. But, Raees has the chance to prove his credentials and should not let down the selectors. He has plenty of domestic experience having played 40 FC match and 52 T20s with 114 and 55 wickets respectively. Also read- Pakistan announces squad for the T20Is against West Indies

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Pakistan v West Indies: 5 Youngsters to watch out for

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