Pakistan vs. West Indies 2nd ODI: Five players to watch out for

Pakistan bowler Shahid Afridi (C) celebrates with his teammates as West Indies captain Dwayne Bravo (2nd L) LBW for 0 during the 1st ODI at Guyana National Stadium on July 14, 2013. Pakistan crushed West Indies by 126 runs. (Getty Images)

Pakistan landed the first blow in the five-match series being played against West Indies at Guyana courtesy an unparalleled performance by Shahid Afridi. The comeback man bailed Pakistan out from a top-order meltdown scoring a breezy knock of 76 runs of just 55 balls propelling Pakistan’s total to a competitive 224.

West Indies pressed the self-demolition button early on in the innings as Chris Gayle was run-out. Md. Irfan picked up the key scalp of Johnson Charles, who had a good run at the Tri-Nation tournament earlier this month.

However, it was Afridi who completed the job picking up an astonishing seven wickets while giving just 12 runs. It was the second-best bowling spell in the history of ODI cricket.

Pakistan, however, won’t be on top of the world as their batting line-up failed once again with only two batsmen being able to score over 20 runs. This is something that ailed them at the Champions Trophy as well and if not corrected, it will come to bite them at some stage in the series.

West Indies, on the other hand, had one bright spark in Jason Holder’s performance with the ball but they have many flaws to address. They are overtly reliant upon the opening partnership between Gayle and Charles.

They have a number of players who have been in a slump. Kieron Pollard’s last five innings, for instance, have seen him score three golden ducks with no score in crossing the double figure mark. They will be hoping for some individual brilliance in the second ODI to save face.

Here is a list of five players who can leave a mark in the second ODI between West Indies and Pakistan:

5. Md. Irfan

The 7ft. 1 inch tall giant would be a threat on every wicket but the surface at Guyana catapults him into someone who can evoke terror in the batsman’s mind. The same surface from the first match will be used on Tuesday, which means that he will have an incentive to go for the batsman’s head.

He made the early inroads in the first match picking up-key top order wickets of Charles and Darren Bravo. He finished with figures of 2/17 in the seven overs that he bowled. West Indies rely heavily on their top-order and hence the early breakthroughs that he provides will be critical to Pakistan’s success.

4. Jason Holder

Holder’s performance against Pakistan in the first match was deserving of being a match-winning performance but all he received was a sympathetic but generous applause. He finished his quota of ten overs taking four wickets and giving away just 13 runs.

The demons in the surface had planted a seed of suspicion in the mind of the Pakistan batsmen as a result of which three of Holder’s four victims were dismissed folding arms to a delivery that was in the corridor of uncertainty.

Holder maximized whatever was available from the surface and his height helped him to extract that extra bit of bounce in particular. If West Indies are to challenge Pakistan in this series, they will have to make sure that Pakistan’s batting woes continue.

3. Misbah-Ul-Haq

Pakistan’s captain was doled out a fair bit of criticism after the team bowed out of the Champions Trophy without registering a single win. His leadership was under scrutiny but more that that his reluctance to bat higher up in the order was criticised.

He made the correction in the first ODI and walked at number four in the sixth over when his team was in a fair share of trouble. He took 121 balls to score his 52 runs but by the time he was dismissed Pakistan had secured a competitive total.

It’s the kind of dirty job that you do not get much credit for but somebody still needs to do it. Misbah’s indispensability to this side is not stressed often enough and though he may not be a pure match winner, he is certainly one who plays for the team and makes consistently valuable contributions.

2. Chris Gayle

The fact that the West Indian batting order lacks experience and resolve means that the likes of Dwayne Bravo and Gayle need to take up greater responsibility. The problem with the team’s effort is that they seem unable to construct an innings that requires a stable start, application and accumulation in middle overs and capitalisation in the last ten.

They lack this structure instead relying on individual exploits such as the ones provided by Gayle at the top of the order. He made a stunning ton against Sri Lanka in the last series but that was five matches ago, which means he is due another one.

Since a radical turnaround of this batting side is unlikely, Gayle’s performance will go a long way in deciding the fate of this match.

1. Shahid Afridi

The world stood-up and noticed when comeback-man Shahid Afridi rounded up an exquisite performance in the first match but half of them composed themselves and called it a one-time wonder.

The innate explosiveness of Afridi’s style of cricket makes him an unpredictable, and thus inconsistent. But he has made the right noises after his achievement. He talked about the fact that he did not want to play to ‘survive’ in the team anymore but rather wants to contribute consistently to the team’s success.

Pakistan captain Misbah-Ul-Haq called the surface used in the first match one of the hardest ever that he played upon and Afridi’s knock of 76 of just 55 balls spells ability. The question is whether he can continue to harness that ability into constructive efforts for the side.