The series between the top-ranked team playing at home and a West Indian team without its key players doesn't have much by way of intrigue in it. Since the PSL final, the hype, the excitement, clamor for tickets, mayhem on the streets, overwhelming security and crazy marketing campaigns have all been toned down. It's not about the revival of international cricket so much as its normalization now.
Pakistan have the upper hand, what with the West Indies featuring an inexperienced, depleted side. The series may end up being a one-sided affair after Cricket West Indies had to scramble to assemble a squad of 13 players ready to visit Pakistan. Many automatic selections including Chris Gayle, Jason Holder and Evin Lewis along with the T20 captain Carlos Brathwaite pulled out. The series will see West Indies vice-captain Jason Mohammed step up to lead the side in the absence of regular captain Brathwaite in the three-match series.
Although Pakistan head coach Mickey Arthur somewhat patronizingly termed West Indies a "dangerous" side that had "nothing to lose", the biggest challenge for the visitors is to keep the series competitive. They have to recover from the jetlag, having to turn up to play just hours after landing in Karachi from the Caribbean. Pakistan, on the other hand, have been in the city for several days, and been training well ahead of the three back-to-back-to-back games.
