Pakistan promise a tough time to West Indies at Shere Bangla
Pakistan will take on http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Bangladesh-c747.
The Men in Green finished at the top of Group A with ten points. They won five out of the six matches played and their only defeat came against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/New-Zealand-c754 in their fourth game of the tournament. However, the courageous team bounced back strongly and broke Australia’s winning streak in World Cup tournaments since 1999.
West Indies on the other hand were at the bottom of the qualifiers for the knockout stages. They finished with six points in Group B with three victories. They could not manage to overcome any stronger team and their victories came against minnows http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Ireland-c751, Holland and Bangladesh.
Considering these figures, Pakistan holds the edge over the Caribbean Kings. Although the Pakistani team has a relatively weaker batting line-up compared to others, they are still a very well balanced unit.
For the first five matches, Ahmed Shehzad and Mohammad Hafeez opened the innings for their team but they failed to provide a good start. This forced the management to make some changes in the top order, which worked out quite nicely for the team.
Wicketkeeper batsman Kamran Akmal was promoted as an opener while Shehzad was dropped from the playing-11. Pakistan may stick to this move for the rest of the tournament. Although Mohammad Hafeez has not delivered with the bat until now, his ability to bowl ten overs and field well gives him the edge over Shehzad. The utility all-rounder will look to do well in the knockout stages.
Younis Khan and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Misbah-ul-Haq-c1972 were under immense pressure until Asad Shafiq came into the side. The youngster bats at number three and has provided stability to the team. His form has helped the senior members of the team to relax. However, Younis and Misbah still hold the key to their team’s success in the mega event. They are technically very apt with strong nerves. One good thing about them is their commitment in the field. Both players set an example for the youngsters with their hard work, which is very good for the team.
Pakistan is gifted with few of the most talented all-round cricketers. http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Shahid-Afridi-c2482 and Abdul Razzaq can cast a devastating spell in the death overs when they bat and they are equally dangerous with the ball.
Bowling has always been strength of the Men in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Green-c60723 and it seems that they will never be short of quality bowlers. Umar Gul, Shoaib Akhtar, Wahab Riaz, Saeed Ajmal, Abdur Rehman and Afridi have the potential to take wickets against any opposition.
Compared to Pakistan, the Windies also have a good team. They have some explosive players like Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard, Darren Sammy and Andre http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755.
The team also has some class players like Ramnaresh Sarwan, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Benn-c47745 and Devendra Bishoo have supported the fast bowlers with accurate spin bowling.
Tomorrow’s game will present an exciting encounter. However, Pakistan will have an edge over their opponents considering their form in the tournament until now.
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