West Indies hand Dominic Drakes, Shamarh Brooks debuts and bowl first

Pakistan cross with Iftikhar Ahmed and Haider Ali within the heart order

Toss: West Indies selected to bowl v Pakistan

Nicholas Pooran, the stand-in West Indies captain, received the toss and elected to bowl within the first of 3 T20Is on the Nationwide Stadium in Karachi.

West Indies are fall from full-strength with some high-profile gamers unavailable for a number of causes. Dwayne Bravo has retired, Chris Gayle is not on excursion, Jason Holder has been rested, Kieron Pollard is lacking because of damage as though Fabian Allen, whilst Shimron Hetmyer, Andre Russell – these days enjoying within the BBL – Lendl Simmons and Even Lewis are unavailable for private causes.

Guyana batter Brandon King makes a go back to the aspect after greater than a yr, and can fit in because the opener along Shai Hope. There was once additionally a comeback for Devon Thomas, the wicketkeeper, after greater than 8 years within the barren region. Thomas most-recently featured in a lone recreation of the continuing Lanka Premier League for Kandy Warriors.

Dominic Drakes makes his debut following a breakout CPL season for Barbados Tridents. He was once within the reserves for the T20 Global Cup. There was once additionally a debut for Shamarh Brooks, who has performed 8 Checks for West Indies.

Pakistan too are lacking two senior gamers – Mohammad Hafeez and Shoaib Malik – however have retained the core of the aspect that toured UAE for the T20 Global Cup, with Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan a part of the management crew as captain and vice-captain. They’ve long gone for Iftikhar Ahmed forward of Khushdil Shah within the heart order.

That is the primary global project for West Indies because the T20 Global Cup in UAE ultimate month, whilst Pakistan are simply coming off a a success excursion of Bangladesh. West Indies will wish to start this collection as an audition for subsequent yr’s Global Cup, whilst Pakistan might be eying proceeding their excellent paintings that started in Dubai, the place they have been the dropping semi-finalists to eventual champions Australia, and persisted in Bangladesh.

Pakistan: 1 Babar Azam (capt), 2 Mohammad Rizwan (wk), 3 Fakhar Zaman, 4 Haider Ali, 5 Iftikhar Ahmed, 6 Asif Ali, 7 Shadab Khan, 8 Mohammad Nawaz, 9 Mohammad Wasim Jr, 10 Haris Rauf, 11 Shaheen Shah Afridi

West Indies: 1 Brandon King, 2 Shai Hope, 3 Shamarh Brooks, 4 Devon Thomas, 5 Nicholas Pooran (capt, wk), 6 Rovman Powell, 7 Odean Smith, 8 Dominic Drakes, 9 Romario Shepherd, 10 Akeal Hosein, 11 Oshane Thomas