TRINIDAD: Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan won the toss and chose to bowl first against West Indies in the third and final ODI of the three-match series at the Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba on Tuesday.
The series is level at 1-1, making the match a winner-takes-all contest.
Pakistan have made one change to their line-up, with pacer Naseem Shah replacing Shaheen Afridi.
Rizwan described the decision as both tactical and aimed at bringing in “fresh legs” for the decisive clash.
“We made some mistakes in the last game but there were positives too, which we want to take into this one,” he said.
West Indies have also made a single change, resting Jediah Blades and bringing in all-rounder Romario Shepherd.
Captain Shai Hope said his team was motivated by the prospect of climbing the ICC ODI rankings and improving their record against Pakistan.
“We haven’t beaten Pakistan here in a long time. It’s a big opportunity for us and we want to make it count,” Hope noted, adding that his side would look to assess the conditions carefully given some morning moisture.
Pakistan, currently ranked fifth in the ICC ODI standings, won the first match of the series, but the hosts struck back in the second game to level the contest.
West Indies are ninth in the rankings and aiming to strengthen their bid for automatic qualification to the Cricket World Cup.
According to the official broadcaster’s pitch report, the surface at the Brian Lara Stadium is expected to favour spinners due to patches on the wicket.
Pakistan Playing XI
Abdullah Shafique, Saim Ayub, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan (c) (wk), Salman Agha, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Mohammad Nawaz, Hasan Ali, Naseem Shah, and Abrar Ahmad.
West Indies Playing XI
Brandon King, Evin Lewis, Keacy Carty, Shai Hope (c) (wk), Sherfane Rutherford, Roston Chase, Romario Shepherd, Justin Greaves, Gudakesh Motie, Shamar Joseph, and Jayden Seales.
