World T20 team watch: Pakistan and West Indies

Pakistan had one of the best starts in World T20 cricket history by going to the final in the inaugural edition in 2007, before falling to India by five runs, and bettering that performance in the next edition in 2009 by lifting the coveted trophy. No surprises that it was their bowling attack that did wonders for the green shirts. 

Seven years later, the current Pakistan team, led by Shahid Afridi, looks nowhere to stage a repeat of the past. While their bowling sans Mohammed Amir was wayward, their batting was nothing short of shambles. The only motivation Pakistan can take into the World Cup would be their win over Sri Lanka in the final league match of the Asia Cup. 

While it is up to the experienced hands to Shoaib  Malik, Mohammed Hafiz, Umar Akmal and Afridi to hold the batting together, Wahab Riaz, Mohammed Irfan and Mohammed Sami should lend the required support for Amir for Pakistan to get back to lethal ways with the ball, all for a team that  was once known to be deadly  with the ball.

It is four years since the West Indies won the World T20. Originally, the team had 11 of the members of the World Cup winning side from 2012 but since then Sunil Narine and Keiren Pollard have opted out of the squad. Darren Sammy’s side is oozing in talent but it was dealt a last-minute blow when Lendl Simmons also dropped out of the team. 

Offspinner Sunil Narine, who was out of action since he was banned by ICC due to an illegal action in November last year, was named in the squad but he too opted out saying he had not corrected the action satisfactorily. 

The new faces include West Indies’ Test and ODI captain Jason Holder, who is in World T20 squad for the first time, and left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn. 

Andre Fletcher and Jerome Taylor are the two other players who were not part of the 2012 squad. 

The squad also includes Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard who were controversially axed from the ODI team for the South Africa tour in 2015 and the World Cup, and have since featured only in T20 internationals.