2nd Test: Can Pakistan avoid series defeat versus West Indies?
What's the story
Pakistan will take on West Indies in the second and final Test of their series, starting Sunday at Port of Spain. The match is part of the ICC World Test Championship. After a disappointing 90-run loss in the first Test, Pakistan will be hoping to bounce back and avoid a series defeat. However, they have suffered another major blow with experienced batter Shan Masood ruled out due to injury. Here is the match preview.
Performance review
Pakistan aim to bounce back
In the first Test, Pakistan struggled with both batting and bowling.
Their inconsistent performance was a major contributor to their 90-run defeat.
The loss also marred the start of Babar Azam's second stint as Test captain.
Masood's absence is a major blow for Pakistan, especially after his vigorous ton in the first match.
The team's bowlers will also be looking for more consistency to assert their dominance this time around.
Strategy
West Indies eye series victory
On the other hand, West Indies are riding high on confidence after their stellar all-round performance in the opening match.
Their bowlers and batters were in top form, putting Pakistan on the back foot.
Now, they will be looking to seal a clean 2-0 series victory over their opponents.
Notably, their pace unit has earned the team tremendous success in recent Test matches.
Conditions
Pitch report and conditions
The Queen's Park Oval pitch usually favors fast bowlers in the first few days before becoming more balanced for batting.
The cloudy Caribbean weather could provide some early momentum, making batting difficult once again.
If these conditions persist, the captain winning the toss may opt to bat first to put pressure on the opposition with scoreboard pressure.
Meanwhile, the action will get underway at 7:30pm IST.
H2H
Decoding their head-to-head record in Tests
As per Cricinfo, the two teams have been involved in 57 Test matches so far.
While 22 games have gone in Pakistan's favor, West Indies have prevailed 20 times (15 draws).
Coming to their battles on Caribbean soil, West Indies have won 14 of their 29 Test matches against Pakistan (eight losses).
Pakistan's only Test series triumph against West Indies in away conditions came in 2017.
XIs
Here are the probable XIs
West Indies probable XI: Brandon King, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Kavem Hodge, Shai Hope (wk), Amir Jangoo, Justin Greaves, Roston Chase (c), Kemar Roach, Jomel Warrican, Shamar Joseph, Jayden Seales.
Pakistan probable XI: Azan Awais, Imam-ul-Haq, Awais Zafar, Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Salman Agha, Aamer Jamal, Ali Usman, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Abbas.
Performers
Here are the key performers
Mohammad Abbas made the ball talk in the series opener and took eight wickets. His efforts also included a fifer.
Shai Hope made 92 in the first innings of the series opener. This knock laid the foundation of the home team's triumph.
Besides Masood, Imam-ul-Haq and Babar Azam recorded 50-plus scores for Pakistan in the opener.
In four matches versus Pakistan, Jayden Seales has taken 20 wickets at 17.25.
Poll
