ICC World Cup 2019: West Indies vs Pakistan - Match details, venue stats, team news & probable XI

After the grand opening of the 2019 ICC World Cup today, West Indies and Pakistan are set to battle it out in the second fixture of the tournament on Friday. The dark horses, West Indies, must be beaming with confidence after beating New Zealand in a high-scoring affair in their second warm-up match. Pakistan, on the other hand, will be desperate to start the tournament on a winning note, following their recent poor form.

West Indies have named a balanced squad for the World Cup, with the right combination of youth and experience. Evin Lewis and Chris Gayle can be lethal at the top of the order, while Kemar Roach and Sheldon Cottrell are expected to lead the bowling. With match-winners such as Gayle, Shai Hope, Andre Russell and Jason Holder in their ranks, the Windies can outplay any team on their day. Skipper Holder would be eyeing to script his own legacy and surprise all the fans and pundits. Their performance against the Black Caps show that the Windies have the potential to torment any bowling attack in English conditions.

On the contrary, Pakistan have been really struggling to find their feet in ODI cricket over the past few months. After three consecutive series defeats against South Africa, Australia and England, the Green Army would be hoping to land a counterpunch, heading into their tournament opener. Imam-ul-Haq and Babar Azam will play crucial roles in Pakistan’s batting line-up, while Wahab Riaz and Shadab Khan will be responsible for providing the much-needed breakthroughs in the times of adversity. After Pakistan’s glorious campaign in the 2017 Champions Trophy, Sarfraz Ahemd and company would be eyeing to clinch their second World Cup title.

Match Details

Date: Friday, 31st May 2019

Time: 03:00 PM IST

Venue: Trent Bridge, Nottingham

League: ICC World Cup 2019

Live Telecast: Star Network

Online Streaming: Hotstar

Venue Stats

Avg 1st Innings score: 252

Avg 2nd Innings score: 219

Highest Total: 481/6 (50 Ov) by Eng vs AUS

Lowest Total: 83/10 (23 Ov) by RSA vs Eng

Highest Chased: 350/3 (44 Ov) by Eng vs NZ

Lowest Defended: 195/9 (50 Ov) by WI vs Eng

Team News

West Indies

• Chris Gayle will feature in his last World Cup before his international retirement.
• Andre Russell makes a comeback into the squad following his tremendous form, despite playing a single ODI since 2015.

Pakistan

• Asif Ali is set to make a comeback in the starting line-up after missing the warm-up games.

Squads

West Indies

Jason Holder (C), Fabian Allen, Carlos Brathwaite, Darren Bravo, Sheldon Cottrell, Shannon Gabriel, Chris Gayle, Shimron Hetmyer, Shai Hope, Evin Lewis, Ashley Nurse, Nicholas Pooran, Kemar Roach, Andre Russell, Oshane Thomas.

Pakistan

Sarfaraz Ahmed (C & W), Shoaib Malik, Babar Azam, Mohammad Hafeez, Fakhar Zaman, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Amir, Haris Sohail, Imam-ul-Haq, Asif Ali, Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain

Key players

West Indies

• Chris Gayle
• Shai Hope
• Jason Holder

Pakistan

• Imam-ul-Haq
• Babar Azam
• Wahab Riaz

Probable Playing XI

West Indies

Chris Gayle, Evin Lewis, Shai Hope, Darren Bravo, Shimron Hetmyer, Andre Russell, Jason Holder (C), Ashley Nurse, Oshane Thomas, Sheldon Cottrell, Kemar Roach.

Pakistan

Imam-ul-Haq , Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Mohammad Hafeez, Sarfaraz Ahmed (C & W), Asif Ali, Imad Wasim, Wahab Riaz, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Hasnain