What WI must know

Shadab Khan poses yet another challenge for WIndies

How to play Shadab Khan?
That were WIndies asking themselves the other night. Only six months ago, there was a similar question. They failed to answer that.
And it cost them a clean sweep.
In their favourite format.

That was, “How to play Imad Wasim?”
It took them 9 wickets and three games to figure out. The last over Imad bowled in that series went for ten runs. Before that, he had bowled 11 overs for 43 runs and 9 wickets.

Samuels told Pakistan that they could play Imad Wasim.
Yet, by that the series was over.

This time, they were prepared for Imad.
But they didn’t know there would be a Shadab Khan.

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Shadab’s first ball in international cricket was a top-spin.
A young bloke who jogs in like an offie and folds his arm like a finger spinner is actually a leggie. Walton knows that. So when he slashes his bat on the next ball, there is a clear hint of premeditation.
But this one isn't a stock ball. It goes the wrong way and hits his pad.

Gone!

Simmons knew it for a fact that if he didn’t attack this cunning debutant, he’d eat them up. He wanted to hit him straight away. But Shadab got the better of him. And another one goes down attempting to up the ante.

Next in the line is Narine who does nothing different.

The bloke ends his quota with a dream analysis.
Four overs.
Seven runs.
Three wickets.

He could’ve had four though.

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Six months of wait, to avenge a whitewash, end up in Shadab Khan winning man of the match award.

That must be painful. Having licked the dust, losing to a similar question adds to it.
WI have three games left to settle the score.

Can they do it?

Shadab has to bowl another 12 overs in the series. And WIndies now must be yearning to face him again.

It is a make or break series for Shadab.
But more than him, it is for his opponents. They would like to dominate him and he might enjoy hurting them. Or they might plan to negotiate him and he ends up on the losing side.

Either way, it is going to be a chilling contest.
What WIndies must know, is that Shadab is better than Imad.