LEVELLING the series would be on the agenda today for West Indies when they face Pakistan at the National Stadium, Providence, in the fourth and final Twenty20 International game in the series.

Rain and COVID-19 meant three matches of the intended five either did not play or were no-result. Not the ideal situation for West Indies, who were using this series like the other three to find the best combination for this year’s World T20 in October–November.

While Pakistan is not in the same group with West Indies for the global tournament, they certainly are an even stronger opponent in these conditions as compared to Sri Lanka, South Africa and Australia.

Outside of the elements, the West Indies unit has been hit with several injuries to key players, and it is likely Evin Lewis, who retired hurt in the match on Saturday, and Lendl Simmons injured in the first, might miss today’s match again, which means both the inconsistent Chris Gayle and Andre Fletcher probably will open the batting, as they did in Sunday’s match.

Even though the ‘cheeky’ Obed McKoy is missing from this team, West Indies bowling still has held its own and it was the big reason they pulled Pakistan back from 85-1 in the 10th over.

Since the South African series, Kevin Sinclair has not found a spot in the playing eleven and given the continued rain, the pitch could play low which paves the way for another spinner, or perhaps a replacement for Akeal Hosein.

Pakistan will be eyeing an away series win, and while winning remains paramount, what they would seek is batters- apart from the prolific Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam, to raise their hands. Before the series, Azam had promised to check the bench strength.Rizwan now has the record for the most T20I runs – 752 – in a calendar year at an average of 94.00 and a strike rate of 140.03

In that sense, this game gives both sides yet another opportunity to fine-tune their respective team combinations.

With rain predicted, there is a chance that the contest may be a shortened one. However, there is a clear window in the day but conditions are expected to be overcast.
Win toss, bowl first may be the safest option today.