Time: August 3, 8:30 PM IST
Venue: Providence Stadium, Guyana
Pitch report
In the only complete game of the series, Pakistan defended a competitive total of 158 runs. The pitch looks sporting, equally providing for batters and bowlers.
The weather, however, might dampen our moods as it has throughout the series. The conditions will be cloudy throughout the day in Guyana, and rain might shorten the game.
Teams
Injuries to Evin Lewis and Lendl Simmons mean that Chris Gayle is likely to open with Andre Fletcher.
Probable XI for West Indies: Andre Fletcher, Chris Gayle, Shimron Hetmyer Nicholas Pooran (wk), Kieron Pollard (c), Andre Russell, Jason Holder, Romario Shepherd, Dwayne Bravo, Hayden Walsh, Akeal Hosein
Haris Rauf replaced Shaheen Afridi in the third game that got eventually washed out. Whether Pakistan will go ahead with the same strategy is a question only time can tell.
Probable XI for Pakistan: Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Sharjeel Khan, Babar Azam, (c) Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez, Sohaib Maqsood, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Wasim, Usman Qadir, Haris Rauf
Fantasy tips
We have opted for a fantasy cricket team based on the recent performances, overall impact, and credit points.
You can make as many teams on My11Circle, one of the top fantasy cricket apps in India and win real cash.
Players to watch out for
Mohammad Rizwan has scored 752 runs at an incredible average of 94 this year – the most by any player in a calendar year in T20Is. He has scored a hundred and 7 fifties with a strike rate of 140.
Nicholas Pooran has finally found his feet. It was his 62* off 33 that kept West Indies in the hunt. He also had two scores in 30s in the T20Is and an unbeaten 59 in the ODIS against Australia last month.
Babar Azam, the No. 2 T20I batter in ICC Rankings, is the only half-centurion from Pakistan in this series. He has pushed himself down to No. 3 so their batting does not revolve only around him and Rizwan.
After having a torrid time in white-ball cricket of late, Jason Holder has broken the shackles. His 4 for 26 restricted Pakistan from going all guns blazing.
Dwyane Bravo has taken 14 wickets in his last 11 innings, including a three-four, four-for, and a two-for. He has gone wicketless only twice.
Mohammad Hafeez may have been misfiring with the bat, but he was spectacular with the ball in the second T20I. His figures of 4-1-6-1 fetched him the Player of the Match award.
Match Prediction
We have had two abandoned games, one of which was a complete washout and the other saw West Indies bat for 9 overs. Apart from Nicholas Pooran’s fighting fifty and Holder’s four-for, there are no positive takes from West Indies’ performance. The defending champions lost to an emerging yet inexperienced South African team and then thumped Australia 4-1. To make matters worse, Chris Gayle has been awfully inconsistent in T20 cricket, be it at the domestic or international level. They have a lot to figure out ahead of the World T20.
On the other hand, Pakistan have been good with both bat and ball. They gave England a tough fight in their own den, and although they carry a few out-of-form blokes, their planning and execution have been spot on.
