West Indies vs Pakistan, 1st T20I: Preview, predicted XIs, match prediction, live streaming, weather forecast and pitch report

The West Indies will take on Pakistan in the opening match of their four-match T20I series. The game will be played at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados and will begin at 7:30 PM IST on July 28.

The hosts will be coming into the series on the back of a 1-2 series defeat at the hands of Australia in the ODIs. However, the fact that they won the T20I series 4-1 should keep them in a positive frame of mind. Kieron Pollard is also set to make his comeback after missing five matches.

With a number of their key players back in the mix, the West Indies look like a formidable unit before the T20 World Cup later this year. Meanwhile, Babar Azam-led Pakistan have had indifferent fortunes in T20 cricket in 2021.

Pakistan won three series against South Africa and Zimbabwe but lost 1-2 to England. While their players have shown sparks of brilliance, Pakistan need to consolidate their lineup going into the upcoming T20I series and the mega event in October-November.

Match details

Match: West Indies vs Pakistan

Date & July: July 28, 2021, Wednesday, 7:30 PM IST

Venue: Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados

Weather report

There is a chance of rain at around 11 AM, one hour after the start of the match. Hence, a short interruption can’t be ruled out. The temperature will be around 29 degrees Celsius with the humidity in the 70s.

Pitch report

The pitch at Kensington Oval was a difficult one for batting in the ODIs between West Indies and Australia. Bowlers are going to enjoy operating on the surface. Moreover, 12 out of 17 T20Is at the venue have been won by the teams batting first.

Predicted playing XIs

West Indies

Evin Lewis and Lendl Simmons have been in good rhythm in recent times. Pooran, Pollard and Gayle have had their fair share of success while Andre Russell has given an account of the damage he can do. Hayden Walsh Jr. picked up 11 wickets in the T20Is against Australia and he needs to be on top of his game.

Predicted XI: Lendl Simmons, Evin Lewis, Chris Gayle, Nicholas Pooran (WK), Kieron Pollard (C), Andre Russell, Fabian Allen, Dwayne Bravo, Hayden Walsh Jr, Fidel Edwards, Obed McCoy

Pakistan

Babar Azam averages over 57 in 10 T20Is against the home team with a top score of an unbeaten 97 in 2018. Mohammad Rizwan has been exceptional as well over the last nine months or so. Shaheen and Hasan Ali remain key players in the bowling department. It will also be interesting to see how much turn Shadab and Imad get from the surface.

Predicted XI: Babar Azam (C), Mohammad Rizwan (WK), Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez, Sohaib Maqsood, Azam Khan, Imad Wasim, Faheem Ashraf, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi

Match prediction

The pitch is expected to worsen as the match goes along. Both Pakistan and West Indies have strong bowling attacks and the team batting first should be able to come out on top.

TV and live-streaming details

TV: N/A

Live Streaming: FanCode