Dubai: When the West Indies take on Pakistan at the Dubai International Stadium this Friday in the first of the three T20Is ahead of the three-match ODI and Test series, they will be keen to set a queer record straight. They arrived earlier in the week for what will be their third cricket series since 2002, but they are yet to wrap up a series win in this country in the new millennium.
String of defeats
In their first and only Test series till date in the UAE in 2002, the Carl Hooper-led side were whitewashed by Waqar Younis and his men in the two-Test series before they were handed a 2-1 defeat in the ODIs. In their second visit to the UAE six years later under Chris Gayle, the result was the same – only the humiliation of a 3-nil ODI series loss was marginally bigger.
However ask an old-timer here and he will say that back in the eighties it was a different story altogether. Sharjah - where every international cricket match in the UAE was played then - was just as much a happy hunting ground for the West Indies as was Sabina Park in Jamaica or SCG in Australia in their heyday. With three ODI trophies in the space of three years in that decade - a Rothmans Sharjah Cup in 1985 and two Champions Trophy in 1986 and 1988 – the Windies’ love affair with the UAE is very well known too. However, they haven’t won a title here since last lifting the Pepsi Champions Trophy in 1993.
Apart from breaking that long jinx, the islanders also have the small matter of climbing up the ICC ODI Championship table where with 94 points - and just eight more than Pakistan at ninth – they currently sit eighth and just about safe to gain an automatic qualification for the 2019 ICC World Cup in England.
Pakistan on the other hand will be aiming to close the gap as they look to remain in contention for the next edition of the shortened 50-over tournament. It all begins with two back-to-back T20 matches over this weekend before the series culminates with the Test series that is set to kick off with a pink ball day-nighter in Dubai.
Pak v WI: The full itinerary
Sept 2 31st T20I - Dubai
Sept 24 2nd T20I - Dubai
Sept 27 3rd T20I - Abu Dhabi
Sept 30 1st ODI - Sharjah
Oct 2 2nd ODI - Sharjah
Oct 5 3rd ODI - Abu Dhabi
Oct 17 1st Test - Dubai
Oct 21 2nd Test - Abu Dhabi
Nov 3 3rd Test - Sharjah
