Windies looks to build on momentum
The West Indies indies will look to tick the basic boxes when it faces Afghanistan in the first of three One-Day Internationals at the Darren Sammy National Cricket stadium in St Lucia on Friday.
Having swept the preceding three-match Twenty20 International series, Jason Holder’s men will be high on confidence going into the ODI format, but will have to guard against complacency.
Afghanistan won its last two ODI series. Although those came against Zimbabwe and Ireland, it goes to show that the team has enough in its arsenal to inspire a surprise on its day.
But especially with Windies in good touch, that won’t necessarily be easy for Asghar Stanikzai’s boys to achieve.
The absence of Marlon Samuels will come as relief for Afghanistan, given his exceptional nick during the T20Is. His unbeaten 89 in the final T20I helped Windies chase down 147 with four balls to spare. But that doesn’t mean Afghanistan can breathe easy entirely.
Windies has drafted the uncapped Roston Chase into the ODI squad, and he is a force to reckon with. He doesn’t possess the long-handle wielding abilities of Samuels but having been the backbone of Windies’ middle-order in Tests over the last 12 months, he knows a thing or two about playing the anchor role.
Moreover, the series gives Chase, who has so far played 14 List A games, a chance to establish his value as an all-format player. Given the nature of the pitch in St Lucia, his off-spin might not be requisitioned as frequently as in Tests, but he can always be used as a restrictive option.
Windies has also been boosted by the return of Holder, the ODI skipper who was rested for the T20Is. Without the likes of Kieron Pollard and Sunil Narine for the 50-over format, Afghanistan might sense an opening, though it has to work really hard to tilt the balance in its favour.
Much of Afghanistan’s fortune will revolved around Mohammad Nabi and Rashid Khan. The duo has proved its prowess in the past and its stocks have hit the roof since representing Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League.
Afghanistan has included Rahmat Shah, Nasir Jamal and Afsar Zazai to the ODI set-up to bolster its options, but it remains to be seen how best the team management uses the resources to script a win.
Squads (from): Windies: Jason Holder (capt), Devendra Bishoo, Jonathan Carter, Roston Chase, Miguel Cummins, Shannon Gabriel, Shai Hope (wk), Alzarri Joseph, Evin Lewis, Jason Mohammed, Ashley Nurse, Kieran Powell, Rovman Powell.
Afghanistan: Asghar Stanikzai (captain), Noor Ali Zadran, Javed Ahmadi, Usman Ghani, Rahmat Shah, Nasir Jamal, Mohammad Nabi, Samiullah Shenwari, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan, Shafiqullah Shafaq, Shapoor Zadran, Hamza Hotak, Dawlat Zadran, Afsar Zazai, Farid Malik.