Second Test preview: Pakistan v West Indies

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The second Test between Pakistan and the West Indies offers the visitors with their best chance of a win or draw, as it’s essentially a road for batting.

The Sheikh Zayed stadium in Abu Dhabi is a welcome one for batsmen if they focus, with many a double century scored there in recent times, though spin becomes influential later on.

With Pakistan leading the series one nil, and never having lost at this venue, they will be confident of avoiding defeat though, especially with Younis Khan back.

The veteran batsman missed the first game as he was recovering from Dengue fever, but is fit for this match and looks set to add to his runs here. He has scored three tons at the ground.

Azhar Ali’s triple century in the first Test will give him a huge confidence boost here, and he’ll hope the rest of the order will take some heart too, after their second innings collapse in Dubai.

Windies spinner Devendra Bishoo’s eight wickets in an innings last week will not be forgotten, and he’ll hope for more of the same as this deck takes turn later on.

The Windies need more than Darren Bravo to fight with the bat, as he was the sole reason they nearly pulled off a draw in the first Test. Everyone else? Rubbish.

Last five head-to-head results

2015 First Test: Pakistan won by 56 runs in Dubai
2011 Second Test Pakistan won by 196 runs in Basseterre
2011 First Test West Indies won by 40 runs in Providence
2006 Third Test Pakistan won by 199 runs in Karachi
2006 Second Test Match drawn in Multan

Squads

Pakistan: Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), Asad Shafiq, Azhar Ali, Imran Khan, Younis Khan, Mohammad Amir, Rahat Ali, Sami Aslam, Sarfraz Ahmed, Sohail Khan, Wahab Riaz, Yasir Shah, Zulfiqar Babar, Babar Azam, Mohammad Nawaz

West Indies: Jason Holder (capt), Kraigg Brathwaite, Devendra Bishoo, Jermaine Blackwood, Carlos Brathwaite, Darren Bravo, Roston Chase, Miguel Cummins, Shane Dowrich (wk), Shannon Gabriel, Shai Hope, Leon Johnson, Alzarri Joseph, Marlon Samuels, Jomel Warrican.

Details

Dates: 21 to 25 October

Morning session: 10:00-12:00 (06:00-08:00 GMT)
Afternoon session: 12:40-14:40 (08:40-10:40 GMT)
Evening session: 15:00-17:00 (11:00-13:00 GMT)

Umpires: Richard Illingworth and Paul Reiffel
TV Umpire: Michael Goug

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