Negating Pakistan’s spinners will be key in ODI series, says Hope - Windies lose T20’s 2-1

LAUDERHILL, Florida:

If the West Indies are to end their 34-year wait for a one-day international (ODI) bilateral series win over Pakistan, captain Shai Hope believes it hinges on their ability to play spin bowling well.

Hope made the assertion following his side's 13-run loss to Pakistan in the third and final T20I at the Broward County Stadium on Sunday night, a defeat that saw them lose the three-match series 2-1.

During that series, West Indies were undone by the left-arm spin of Mohammed Nawaz, who took seven wickets and was named Player-of-the-Series.

Nawaz will also feature in the upcoming three-match ODI series, which bowls off on Friday at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Trinidad.

Pakistan also boasts left-arm wrist spinner Sufiyan Muqeem, off spinner Saim Ayub and leg spinner Abrar Ahmed in their ODI squad.

The West Indies last won an ODI series against Pakistan back in 1991, when they prevailed 2-0.

Openers Sahibzada Farhan and Saim Ayub both struck half centuries to set up Pakistan's victory on Sunday.

Player-of-the-Match Farhan scored 74, while Ayub made 66, to set the foundation for their side's formidable total of 189 for four in 20 overs after they won the toss and chose to bat at Broward County Stadium.

Alick Athanaze and Sherfane Rutherford also hit half centuries for the West Indies, who at one point seemed on track for victory before losing the plot to end on 176 for six.

The result marked the seventh consecutive time, dating back to 2013, that Pakistan defeated the West Indies in a bilateral T20I series.

The last time West Indies emerged victorious in a T20I series over the South Asian country was in 2011.

Pakistan were given a dream start by Farhan and Ayub, with the two sharing an opening stand of 138, which frustrated the West Indies' bowlers and gave them the perfect launching pad to post the highest total of the three-match series.

Hope said assessing the conditions quickly and dealing with the spinners that Pakistan will undoubtedly throw at them would be key if they were to emerge victorious.

The first thing is adaptation. Every single place that we played in the Caribbean or here in the US, conditions are so different.

So, the first thing we need to do is assess, see what's the best plans to formulate for that particular surface, the wind conditions, all these things we have to take into account," Hope said.

"But you know they're going to bowl a lot of spin at us and the way how we negate those spinners in the middle overs is going to be very crucial to us as batters.

"Same thing with the ball, we have to keep finding ways to keep making inroads in the same middle overs. So, start with the power play, try to put them under pressure from early and then just try to keep taking wickets throughout the innings and limit the bleeding in the middle," he added.

- CMC