We were better than the Windies, says skipper Sarfraz
Thu, Sep 29, '16
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (CMC) – Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed said his side outplayed West Indies in every department, during their 3-0 whitewash of the reigning World champions in the just concluded Twenty20 International series.
“We never imagined that we would win the series 3-0. They are the world champions and they are a strong team, conditions-wise,” Sarfraz told reporters.
“So, I would like to praise my team for the way they worked hard. Despite the humidity and other factors, the way the boys didn’t lose confidence. If you look on the field, we were better than them.
“We fielded well, bowled well and took some good catches as well. So, the credit goes to the entire team.”
West Indies were humbled in the two opening games in Dubai, losing the first game by nine wickets and the second by 16 runs. In other encounters, the Caribbean side were handicapped by poor batting displays and never really challenged.
‘Terribly embarrassing’ if WI don’t get automatic WC qualification – Dujon
Thu, Sep 29, '16
JEFF Dujon, the former West Indies wicketkeeper, has said it would be a “terrible embarrassment” if West Indies were unable to qualify automatically for the 2019 World Cup.West Indies are currently jostling with Pakistan for the final automatic qualification spot in the one-day rankings ahead of the series in UAE, which starts tomorrow. If Pakistan can repeat their 3-0 scoreline from the T20 series in the ODIs, they will jump ahead of West Indies into eighth place. The cut-off for qualification is September 30, 2017, with the ODI nations who sit outside the top eight then joining the qualifying tournament which is currently scheduled to take place in Bangladesh. West Indies missed out on a place in next year’s Champions Trophy after being pipped for the final berth by Pakistan and Bangladesh. “It would be a terrible embarrassment for West Indies to not automatically qualify,” Dujon, who played in the 1983 and 1987 World Cups, told ESPNcricinfo. “It would be damaging for any team who have tasted what it’s like to be in the top echelon of world cricket. “As someone who played in a very successful era, it’s very embarrassing but it has to be an indication of exactly where we are at and something needs to be done. It hurts.
The last minute decision to stage two T20 matches against India in Florida turned out to be a blessing in disguise for the West Indies.
Sources say the matches were financial successes with some US $11.2 million being generated from media rights and gate receipts.
Although cricket in the Americas falls under the auspices of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), it was the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), who were given permission by the WICB to host the matches, and despite the fact that one of the two games was affected by rain, the BCCI was still able to make a profit.
A member of the WICB told Guardian Media that the outcome has gone a long way in healing wounds between the two cricketing nations following the 2014 debacle which saw the West Indies aborting a tour of India with several matches still to be played.
The fiasco left the WICB with a debt of US $41.97 million and it took months of discussion and sensitive negotiations before the WICB and the BCCI were able to arrive at a workable option.
Pakistan completed a 3-0 whitewash of West Indies with a comfortable eight-wicket win in Abu Dhabi that exposed the World T20 champions' weaknesses in conditions not conducive to big hitting. Sent in to bat, West Indies stuttered to 103 for 5 in their 20 overs, failing to get into gear after losing three top-order wickets to Imad Wasim's non-turning left-arm spin.
Chasing less than six runs an over, Pakistan were never under pressure, especially after Jerome Taylor sprayed the new ball around in his first two overs, conceding four leg-side fours, a leg-side wide, and a set of leg-byes down to the fine leg boundary. Kesrick Williams, the debutant fast bowler, dismissed both openers in the sixth over of the innings, but Pakistan easily shrugged that setback aside as Babar Azam and Shoaib Malik steered them home with an unbroken partnership of 68 for the third wicket. Malik ended the match off the first ball of the 16th over, shovelling Carlos Brathwaite for a six over long-on.
When they won the World T20 earlier this year, West Indies only really struggled in two games, a narrow win against South Africa and a defeat to Afghanistan. Both games came in Nagpur, the venue with the largest outfield and most spin-friendly pitch of the tournament. Abu Dhabi's outfield is even larger, and while its pitch didn't offer much turn, it didn't give the batsmen much bounce or pace to work with. This meant West Indies would need to look outside their usual T20 template to find a trustworthy run-scoring method.
Pakistan eye first T20 series whitewash over West Indies today
Tue, Sep 27, '16
ABU DHABI: Coach Mickey Arthur urged Pakistan to be ruthless and achieve a rare clean sweep against world champions West Indies in the third and final Twenty20 International in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday. Pakistan hold an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series after the nine wicket and 16-run victories in the two back-to-back matches in Dubai. Arthur said the series win is the first step in building a new team under the captaincy of wicket-keeper/batsman Sarfraz Ahmed, five months after they crashed out of the World Twenty20 in India. “Without a doubt the series win is the first step in the right direction,” said Arthur on Monday at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium. “We want to win it 3-0 and want to be ruthless with our attitude.”
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