The West Indies men’s team is set to resume their rescheduled ODI-leg of the Pakistan tour that got postponed last December due to the COVID-19 outbreak. All 3 games of the series will be played at the Multan Cricket Stadium; and in this article, we will be previewing the series by analyzing the ODI records and pitch report of the Multan venue.
Team forms
The touring Windies team will be riding high on confidence at the back of the 3-0 drubbing they recently inflicted against the Netherlands. They will be mighty pleased with the form of some of their burgeoning stars- like Brandon King, Akeal Hosein, Kyle Mayers, and Shahmarh Brooks- among several others. It would also help that some of their core team members like captain Nicholas Pooran, Romario Shepherd, and Rovman Powell are coming into the tournament with the recency of playing in the IPL. Having said that, this is a fairly young West Indies side, and the men-in-maroon would do well to be sufficiently weary of their opponents, especially when they’re playing on their home turf.
On the other end of the spectrum, there are the hosts Pakistan, who’ve been in good touch leading upto this series. The Babar Azam-led men-in-green registered a 2-1 win in their latest ODI assignment against Australia a few months back. Post that, many of their marquee players like captain Babar, Mohd. Rizwan, Shaheen Afridi, Hasan Ali, and Haris Rauf participated in the English domestic county season. So despite the lack of recent international game time, the Pakistan players will be heading into the series up and running well. It would, however, be interesting to see if and how Pakistan manage to try out youngsters like Mohd. Haris, Zahid Mahmood, Abdullah Shafique, and others in their playing XI.
Pak vs WI 1st ODI match details
When: 8 June 2022, 4: 30 PM IST
Where: Multan Cricket Stadium
Multan Cricket Stadium ODI records
| Total matches | 7 |
| Matches won batting first | 3 |
| Matches won bowling first | 4 |
| Average 1st Inns scores | 242 |
| Average 2nd Inns scores | 198 |
| Highest total recorded | 323/3 (50 Ov) by PAK vs BAN |
| Lowest total recorded | 148/10 (38.3 Ov) by ZIM vs PAK |
| Highest score chased | 233/3 (37.4 Ov) by RSA vs PAK |
| Lowest score defended | 272/9 (50 Ov) by PAK vs ZIM |
Multan Pitch Report
Of the 7 ODI matches played in Multan so far, the team bowling first has managed to win 4 of them. The surface has had a history of producing moderately high scores, which should make for an interesting batting contest. Part-time spinners like Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Malik have enjoyed outings with several wickets against their names on this venue, so that should give an indication of the kind of bowling that this surface is conducive to.
ALSO READ: Police arrested former Indian Cricketer Naman Ojha’s father in Bank fraud case
Multan Weather Report during PAK vs WI T20s
The weather prediction for the matchday is bright and sunny, so fans should be in for a cracking contest of cricket between these two teams. Chances of precipitation are null, but with some humidity and high-speed winds blowing around, bowlers who tend to rely on moving the ball in the air would be savoring their luck.