West Indies team arrives in Pakistan for ODI series

West Indies have arrived in Pakistan for a three-match one-day series, which starts on June 8. The series was originally scheduled to take place in December 2021 but was postponed due to the Covid-19 outbreak within the West Indies squad. All three matches were supposed to be played in Rawalpindi but due to rising political tensions in the nearby capital city Islamabad lately, Multan is scheduled to host the games now. Multan is also set to witness a return to international cricket after a gap of 14 years.

PCB confirmed that the visitors arrived at Islamabad Airport on Monday (June 6) and shortly departed for Multan via a chartered plane. West Indies team will start their training on June 7 while the hosts have already started their campaign. Both teams last played each other in the 50-over format during the 2019 World Cup where West Indies won by seven wickets. Pakistan last played a bilateral ODI series against the West Indies in 2017, winning the series 2-1 in the Caribbean.

A warm welcome to @windiescricket in Multan 🤩#KhelAbhiBaqiHai | #PAKvWI pic.twitter.com/UTsr3f8iGV

— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) June 6, 2022

West Indies will enter this series after an impressive 3-0 series win against the Netherlands last week. Akeal Hosein dominated the series with eight wickets in just three matches and Shamarh Brooks scored a century and fifty to return to form. It will be a different challenge to beat Pakistan on their home turf but the upcoming series will boost their morale.

Both Pakistan and West Indies have named their strongest possible team for this three-match ODI series. Star all-rounder and vice-captain Shadab Khan returns after an injury, which will be a big boost for the hosts. The 22-year-old Abdullah Shafique is also included in their camp but he is unlikely to start the inning ahead of in-form duo Fakhar Zaman and Imam ul Haq. However, the selection committee has dropped five players from the Australia series, including Haider Ali and Asif Ali. 

There are no surprises in the West Indies squad but one can witness a big change in the starting lineup that dominated during the Netherlands tour. Both Rovman Powell and Romario Shepherd missed their latest series after failing to get visa clearance on time. Both the players have joined the team and the former is likely to be drafted directly into starting eleven after his impressive season in IPL 2022.