Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul Haq hopes it will be third time lucky for him as he prepares to achieve in the West Indies what no other Pakistan captain has ever accomplished before -- winning a Test series in the Caribbean.
"It will be my third tour to the West Indies. If the first (tour) helped me to be recognised as a Test batsman, I hope the third tour would provide me an opportunity to become the first Pakistan captain to win a Test series there," said Inzamam, on the eve of the team's departure for the West Indies, where it will play two Tests and three One-Day Internationals.
Inzamam, who burst on the international scene after his heroics in the 1992 World Cup semi-final and final, was recognised as a world class Test batsman after he scored first of his 21 Test centuries at St John's, Antigua, in 1993.
Seven years and 54 Tests later, when he returned to the West Indies in 2000, he scored 135 at Georgetown, Guyana.
"Of course, I would like to add another century on this tour but, most importantly, I am targeting a series win because that means a lot to the people of Pakistan than my 22nd century," he said.
"And frankly speaking, I think we have an excellent opportunity to end the almost 48-year long wait because the team is gelled together and the confidence is sky-high.
"All we need to do is to stick to the basics, concentrate harder and realise that after this series there will be a five-month break so why not go on vacations on a high," Inzamam said.
It will be Pakistan's sixth tour of the West Indies since Abdul Hafeez Kardar led the team in 1957-58.
But Moin Khan, in 2000, was the only captain who came close to winning a series, only to be denied by a match-winning innings by Jimmy Adams and some poor umpiring by Billy Doctrove, in the third Test at St John's.
Doctrove adjudged Courtney Walsh not out off Saqlain Mushtaq after television replays confirmed that the ball had taken the inside edge before being caught by the close-in fielder.
Adams and Walsh added 19 runs for the unbroken last wicket stand to guide the West Indies to a one-wicket victory that gave them the series 1-0.
Imran Khan, in 1988, was the only Pakistan captain to draw a series in the Caribbean when the three-Test series ended 1-1.
The prospects of achieving a series win -- once considered improbable -- also looks possible not only because of the recent thrashing the West Indies received at the hands of South Africa but also because some of their star players, including Brian Lara and Ramnaresh Sarwan, might be forced to miss the series in the wake of a sponsorship row.
Lara and Co. are signed with Cable and Wireless while rivals Digicel are West Indies Cricket's sponsors.
However, Inzamam will be watching the Barbados Test from the sidelines and will only have an opportunity to give his best shot at Jamaica as he is under suspension for slow over-rate during the series in India.
Younis Khan, the heir apparent to Inzamam, will be at the helm at Barbados.
"That (watching from the sidelines) would be tougher, but my heart and soul will be in the field," Inzamam said.
"The series in India has provided us the belief that we have the capability to outshine any opponent. I am sure if we can handle the Indian pressure, we can sustain any pressure.
"We just need to keep our heads down, keep our feet on the ground and forget the Indian heroics because that tour has now gone in the record books. The West Indies tour is a fresh assignment and we are expected to produce fresh results.
"I think this is a great opportunity for Pakistan to establish itself as a team capable of producing consistent performances," Inzamam said.
The 35-year-old captain said the tour should also provide his young brigade to learn about the West Indies conditions as it would also be hosting the 2007 World Cup.
"It is an excellent opportunity to learn what was required to excel in the West Indies conditions. We have to make the maximum utilisation of this tour because what we face here will help us two years later.
"This should be a significant tour as far as Pakistan's chances in the 2007 World Cup is concerned because as I see things, most of the players in the current team form the nucleus of Pakistan's World Cup squad," Inzamam, who has a captaincy contract till next year's Asia Cup, said.
Inzamam said the absence of pace duo of Mohammad Sami and Shoaib Akhtar would be felt but did not waste the opportunity to add that his recent statements in which he was quoted as saying that Shoaib Akhtar had been dropped on disciplinary grounds, were misplaced.
"Officially I am repeating that Shoaib Akhtar has been left out on fitness grounds and not because of disciplinary reasons. My recent statements on Shoaib Akhtar's attitude and behaviour are misplaced," Inzamam said.
Shoaib is certain to join Saeed Anwar as two of the greatest Pakistan cricketers never to play Tests in the West Indies.
While Saeed missed the 1993 and 2000 tours, Shoaib was a member of the 2000 team and appeared in just one tri-series game because of injuries.
The squad: Inzamam-ul Haq (captain), Younis Khan (vice-captain), Salman Butt, Yasir Hameed, Shahid Afridi, Bazid Khan, Yousuf Youhana, Asim Kamal, Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal (wk), Shabbir Ahmed, Shahid Nazir, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, Rao Iftikhar Anjum, Abdul Razzaq, Danish Kaneria and Arshad Khan.
Tour itinerary:
May 11: Departure
May 15: Warm-up one-dayer at Antigua
May 18: 1st ODI at St Vincent
May 21: 2nd ODI at St Lucia
May 22: 3rd ODI at St Lucia
May 26-30: 1st Test at Barbados
June 3-7: 2nd Test at Jamaica.
