Pakistan and West Indies, the two most unpredictable sides, will take on each other in their first ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 game at Trent Bridge here on Friday.
No matter how unpredictable these two sides can be, on their day, they can beat any top team in the world. Pakistan, which has lost its last 10 ODIs, didn’t have the most ideal preparation for the showpiece event. It lost to Afghanistan in its first warm-up game and its second, against Bangladesh, was washed out without a ball being bowled.
Pakistan at ICC tournaments has traditionally been a notch above what it is at other times. This is exactly what the side’s skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed and its faithful would be hoping for. Pakistan has consistent batsmen in Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman and Imam-Ul-Haq.
And in its bowling department, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Wahab Riaz and Hasan Ali are all capable of wreaking havoc on any batting line-up in the world.
One of the things it needs to be wary off is its fielding, which has let it down in the past and could prove costly in the tournament, too.
West Indies, on the other hand, has been in good form in the recent times. The Jason Holder-led outfit held tournament favourite and host England to a stalemate at home earlier this year.
The Caribbean outfit boasts of power hitters like Chris Gayle, Andre Russell, Evin Lewis and Shimron Hetmyer, who can explode against any opposition and make a mockery of the their bowling attack. Wicketkeeper-batsman Shai Hope has been in great touch with the bat and will hope to maintain that consistent run in the global event.
After having its first warm-up game against South Africa washed out, Windies showed glimpses of its big hitting by scoring 421 runs in its last practice game against New Zealand.
Its bowling is slightly on the weaker side, but with a solid pool of all-rounders, it has several options. And if the batsmen show up in the mood like they did against the Black Caps, the team is going to have plenty to play with.
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