After a slightly one-sided contest between England and South Africa on opening day in London, the action now moves to Nottingham as Pakistan and West Indies will kick off their World Cup campaign.
Both Pakistan and West Indies carry the tag of unpredictables. While the Windies have a decent record in the recent past and they have a rejuvenated, well-settled and a strong squad owing to the inclusion of Chris Gayle and Andre Russell.
Pakistan, on the other hand, are coming into the tournament on the back of 10 successive defeats. While those defeats might not be as humiliating as the warm-up loss against Afghanistan, a continuous losing streak is always bad for a team.
Without further ado, let’s have a look at all the details that you need to know about Pakistan vs West Indies clash today:
Match Details
- Match Time:Â 2:30 pm PST
- Venue:Â Trent Bridge, Nottingham
- Weather:Â Overcast conditions are expected throughout the day
- Toss:Â To be decided
Team Updates
Pakistan team management has announced a 12-member squad for today’s fixture against the Windies. One thing that’s certain is that Shoaib Malik will play no part in today’s game. The only question that remains is whether Mohammad Hafeez will play ahead of Haris Sohail. Looking at the abundance of left-handers in Holder XI, Hafeez is an automatic selection for his bowling abilities.
West Indies has a fully fit squad and it remains to be seen whether Shannon Gabriel gets into the XI instead of the rookie Oshane Thomas or not.
Probable Playing XIs
Pakistan
Imam-ul-Haq, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Sarfaraz Ahmed (C, WK), Mohammad Hafeez, Asif Ali, Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Amir
West Indies
Chris Gayle, Evin Lewis, Shai Hope (WK), Shimron Hetmyer, Darren Bravo, Jason Holder (C), Andre Russell, Ashley Nurse, Kemar Roach, Sheldon Cottrell, Shannon Gabriel
Players to Watch Out For
Pakistan
Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq and Babar Azam are Pakistan’s number one, two and three batsmen and the team heavily relies on them to provide a solid foundation for the dashers like Asif Ali and even Mohammad Hafeez. Spin bowlers will be crucial however, Nottingham is known for producing some very high-scoring games.
West Indies
Chris Gayle and Andre Russell are among the most experienced players for Men in Maroon and their contributions will most likely define the match. Shai Hope has proved himself to be the lynchpin of their batting line-up in the absence of players like Gayle, Bravo and Pollard etc and he will once again be vital to their cause.
Stats
In 133 matches, the Windies have an upper hand with 70 wins while Pakistan has triumphed 60 times. In the World Cups, West Indies has a 7-3 record against Pakistan.
