West Indies Cricket Team arrives in Pakistan after 18-year wait for historic 2-match test series

The West Indies Cricket Team has officially arrived in Pakistan for the upcoming 2-match Test series, after a long wait of 18 years. The players received a warm and grand welcome by the hosts with a cake cutting ceremony as well as felicitation with the cultural shawl. 

As per the reports, the Windies team arrived in Pakistan through Private Airline, where each player was escorted under tight security to their respective hotel, ensuring a safe and smooth arrival. The last time West Indies toured Pakistan for a test series was in November 2006. However, the team has visited Pakistan thrice since April 2018 for a limited-overs series.

Schedule of West Indies tour to Pakistan 

The highly anticipated series between West Indies and Pakistan will kick off with the first test match, scheduled to held in Karachi from 17th to 21st January, 2025. It will be followed by the second test match in Multan, effective from 24th to 29th January, 2025. These matches will play a significant role in gearing up both the teams for an intense battle on Pakistani soil. 

The West Indies Cricket team will begin their tour with a three-day practice match against Pakistan from 10th – 12th January at Islamabad Club. With this practice session, the Windies Cricket team will have an opportunity to acclimatize to the conditions and get ready for the competitive action ahead.  

Squad announced for West Indies tour to Pakistan 

The Windies players that have been selected for 2-match test series to Pakistan include, Kraigg Brathwaite (Captain), Joshua Da Silva (Vice-Caption), Alick Athanaze, Keacy Carty, Justin Greaves, Kavem Hodge, Tevin Imlach, Amir Jangoo, Mikyle Louis, Gudakesh Motie, Anderson Phillip, Kemar Roach, Kevin Sinclair, Jayden Seales and Jomel Warrican. 

Shedding light on the squad, the Head Coach, Andre Coley said that they are aiming to transform their learnings from 2024 into tangible results. He mentioned about the inclusion of Amir Jangoo and Gudakesh Motie and appreciated their performances in the recent months. 

He said that Motie will play a significant role in bolstering the spin attack. Meanwhille Jangoo’s selection has been decided on the basis of his consistent performances across the formats in regional cricket. 

Amir Jangoo’s exceptional performances 

Amir Jangoo was the highest run-scorer in the Super50 Cup 2024, a List A 50-over tournament in West Indies. The player scored 446 runs in 7 innings, which includes, three fifties and one century. His exceptional performance helped him to earn a maiden call-up to the Windies ODI team for the series against Bangladesh. 

Amir Jangoo sat in the dugout for the first two ODIs but got his chance in the third match and he immediately made it count. The player scored his maiden ODI hundred, scoring 104 runs in just 83 deliveries. With his remarkable innings, Amir also became the second West Indian after Desmond Haynes to score a hundred on ODI debut.