Abu Dhabi: When the West Indies arrived in the UAE, they looked fresh and eager but a little over two weeks into their stay, the signs of exhaustion are clearly visible.
The desert environment and energy-sapping conditions seem to have driven them to submission against Pakistan, who have pounced on the visitors like werewolves on a rampage, devouring anything that gets in their way.
Having lost the T20 series 3-0 and Pakistan having taken an unassailable 2-0 lead in the ODIs, the Windies now risk getting lost in the desert. They look like a disjointed unit heading in different directions chasing the mirage of a win. The only way out for skipper Jason Holder and his men is to somehow stick together and find inspiration to look for that oasis — a victory in the third and final ODI at the Shaikh Zayed Cricket Stadium ahead of the gruelling Test series.
However, that’s not going to happen by cutting down on the travel time and staying away from the venue where they are going to play the final ODI. While Pakistan chose to put themselves through a good three-hour training session at the stadium in the capital yesterday, the Windies preferred to stay back and practice in Dubai. They will be heading to the actual venue on Wednesday only hours before the match.
They chose to do that during the inconsequential third T20 earlier and ended with a forgettable performance by posting a paltry 103 for 5 in 20 overs, allowing Pakistan to romp to an easy eight-wicket win. Since then, the Windies have suffered a heavy 111-run defeat in the opening ODI and lost the second by 59 runs.
From the time the Windies have landed here, the talk has been the sacking of coach Phil Simmons just before the tour. The absence of Chris Gayle, one of the most destructive batsmen in the game’s shortest formats, has certainly been a blow. So has the unavailability of Lendl Simmons and the dynamic all-rounder Andre Russell.
Neverthless, those present also have done little justice to batting. The experienced Darren Bravo and opener Kraigg Brathwaite showed some form only in the last ODI with a stand of 89 runs in 19.4 overs. Marlon Samuels made 57 off 52 deliveries while Denesh Ramdin’s 34 runs off 29 deliveries provided evidence that he may be returning to form. But Carlos Brathwaite and Kieron Pollard are still nowhere near their best and this is hurting Windies the most.
Windies are still waiting to see their lead spinner Sunil Narine fire. He has so far made very little impact on spin-friendly tracks where Pakistan’s lesser known spinners have made merry. Even teammate and left-arm orthodox spinner Sulieman Benn has superseded Narine with better figures.
Pakistan, on the other hand, have simply gained in confidence with every match. The 3-0 rout in the T20s may have “surprised” captain Sarfraz Ahmad but the form the side has shown under ODI skipper Azhar Ali is an assurance that the team is on the path to resurgence. They are a pumped-up, inspired lot who will not spare anything to complete the drubbing.
Twenty one-year-old Babar Azam impressed with his scintillating maiden international century in the last outing and he will be definitely be looking to build on the success. The experienced veteran Shoaib Malik has not put a foot wrong so far and is simply enjoying his batting. His knock of 90 off 84 balls allowed Pakistan to post a huge total in the second ODI and Windies will be well aware of that threat.
Despite very little experience, left-arm spinners Imad Wasim and Mohammad Nawaz have grabbed the opportunity they have got and shown signs that they are here to stay. In short, the West Indies not only have their backs to the wall but also have their tail tucked between their legs going into the final ODI and it will be difficult for them to salvage some pride from this contest before the Test series.
