Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan admitted they are facing a challenge over selecting a fifth bowler and said the final decision on the team combination for Tuesday’s series decider will be made at the last moment. This comes after their defeat in the second one-day international on Sunday.
After winning the opening ODI by five wickets, Pakistan set a decent total of 171 for 7 in 37 overs in a rain-shortened match, but West Indies chased it down with five wickets in hand to level the three-match series.Part-time bowlers Saim Ayub and Salman Agha struggled, giving away 66 runs in seven overs without taking a wicket, which allowed West Indies to score freely. Rizwan admitted the fifth bowler was expensive but pointed out that both Saim and Salman have bowled well for Pakistan in recent matches. He added that Saim had a poor day but had performed strongly in the T20 series.
Rizwan also said they misread the pitch and the frequent rain interruptions made things harder. He mentioned that the weather forecast had been different from what they expected and that the team would keep their options open before finalising the playing XI after checking the conditions.
