West Indies captain Dwayne Bravo will be under the microscope when the final One-Day International of the five-match series against Pakistan is played at the Beausejour Stadium in St Lucia. Following a six-wicket win in the rain-affected fourth match at the same venue on Sunday, the tourists enjoy an unbeatable 2-1 lead in the series and the hosts are under increasing pressure to get the win that will square the rubber and at least reassure Caribbean fans that the team is steadily improving in the countdown to the next World Cup.
The third fixture, also played at Beausejour, finished in a tie. Despite proving to be extremely expensive in the final overs of their opponents’ innings so far in the series, Bravo has continued to opt for his medium-pacers at the death, often resulting in a significant acceleration of the Pakistani scoring. He finally admitted in the aftermath of defeat on Sunday that those tactics will have to be revisited. Pakistan have no such concerns, and after ensuring that their unbeaten run in head-to-head series in the West Indies since the 1988 tour will be extended, are in no mood to relax.
‘We’re looking forward to winning again. We gained a lot from that win (on Sunday) and confidence will be high for this final game,’ said Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq in anticipating the final challenge. They have been effective with their bowling so far.