NEW DELHI: Ahead of the opening Test against West Indies, Pakistan Test skipper Shan Masood expressed his team's desire to conclude their World Test Championship (WTC) cycle on a winning note.
The two-Test series between Pakistan and West Indies begins at Multan Cricket Stadium on January 17, with the second match scheduled at the same venue from January 25.
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Making their first Test appearance in Pakistan since December 2006, West Indies currently occupy the bottom position in the WTC standings. During their previous Test series in Pakistan, the home side, led by PCB Hall of Famer Inzamam-ul-Haq, secured a 2-0 victory in the three-match series.
"This is our last Test series in the current ICC World Test Championship cycle, and we would like to finish it on a winning note. Every match in this format holds great importance, and we are committed to giving it our all to end the campaign with a memorable series win," Masood stated during Thursday's pre-match press conference.
The last Test encounter between Pakistan and West Indies occurred in 2021 in the Caribbean, resulting in a 1-1 draw. Under Masood's leadership, Pakistan aims to secure their second consecutive home series victory, following their 2-1 triumph over England in October last year.
"West Indies are a decent side with a lot of talented players. They bring a unique style to the game, and we know they will push us hard. Test cricket is about adapting to challenges, and as a team, we are prepared to respond to whatever comes our way," Masood said. "The series win against England at home has given us a lot of confidence and momentum. We are fully focused on putting in strong performances and carrying forward that winning attitude," he added.
Pakistan's 15-member squad has completed three days of comprehensive training, whilst the Kraigg Brathwaite-led visitors trained for two days at Multan Cricket Stadium. The touring team also participated in a three-day practice match against Pakistan Shaheens at the Islamabad Club last week.
West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite emphasised the importance of performing well in Pakistani conditions, noting that most squad members, including himself, are visiting the country for the first time.
"We are very excited to be here in Pakistan, I personally had never come to Pakistan before and probably the majority of players are also touring for the first time and we are really looking forward to doing well in the series. Pakistan are a strong side at home, so we look forward to doing well in these conditions," he said. "Our team's performance will be quite crucial here, and obviously putting runs on the board is important but taking 20 wickets will be the key to winning the Test match.
"Our preparations are going well, we had a few days in Islamabad where we played a practice game which went quite good for us as a group and we had our sessions here in Multan which were helpful as well," Brathwaite added.
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