West Indies v Pakistan – 5 things to look forward to

West Indies and Pakistan will take on each other at Christchurch in what is the second group game for both of them. The West Indies have an overall better record of 68 wins versus 55 of Pakistan, and the same goes for the World Cup stage – they have a total of 6 wins while Pakistan have just 3.But considering the present form and squads, it is going to be a close contest. Both teams will be raring to go following their losses in their first games, and here are 5 things to watch out for in the encounter, which are most likely to take place.

#5 Yasir Shahs form

He is one person who could really turn it around for the Pakistanis. His performance against the Indians wasn’t impressive – he gave away 60 runs in 8 overs, and it would do him and his team well if he could return to form in the game against the Windies. It was the Caribbean middle order that did fire against the Irish - and it would be an advantage for Pakistan if he is able to contain the middle order better than he did over India.

The Lionel Messi-lookalike made his ODI and T20 debuts in 2011, and hasn’t featured in the formats for Pakistan since then. Shane Warne dubbed him as one of the best spinners in the world before the India game. Yasir had a cracker of a Test series in the Middle East against New Zealand and Australia, with 27 wickets in 5 games. That did show he has the ability to fox the batsmen.

It would be good if he can show the same form in the limited overs format. The Kiwis and the Aussies are the best contenders for the World Cup, and it would do a world of confidence to him if he keeps in mind his record against them last year. He is sure to get a playing berth against the Windies, and it will be worthy to note how well he plays his role.

#4 Shahid Afridi vs Darren Sammy

The best all-rounders of both sides will have a huge role to play in Saturday’s clash. There is a good chance that both might end up bowling to the other too. Both bat in the middle order, and are most often responsible for giving the score that final push, or if the team is chasing, they are the ones who shoulder the responsibility.

Sammy is in pretty good nick as seen against Ireland, while no past form can determine how Afridi will play on a given day. He is like a bomb waiting to explode, which can happen on any given day. He does love the big stage, and the World Cup has provided him with just that. What both of them do on the day of the match can very well decide the course of the contest.

Both of them have a definite role with the ball as well. Sammy is the main medium-pacer while Afridi is the 2nd spin option after Yasir Shah. They did not have the best outings with the ball in their previous game, but are much better bowlers than what their figures suggested. Sammy can easily contain the batsmen with his bowling while Afridi has the knack of picking up important dismissals. Their teams are bound to have the edge if they do well in their departments.

#3 Chris Gayle vs Mohammad Irfan

The battle between the giants of the team should be interesting. Mohammad Irfan does not need help in generating pace and bounce and can do so on a constant basis. So it will be interesting to see how Chris Gayle, who is most likely to be around when Mohammad Irfan is bowling, will tackle the 7 foot plus bowler.

Chris Gayle loves it when the ball is pitched up to him as he can dispatch them out of the ground very easily. He seldom will get onto the back foot to handle deliveries, and might have to do just that when Irfan is bowling. He may also have to get out of his comfort zone and play the bowler since his conventional style of approaching the game will not help him much.

What we saw against India was that Irfan was unable to direct his bounce in the correct direction and height. There were also instances when the ball went above the batsman’s head for a wide. Chances of that happening are reduced when Gayle is on strike, and Irfan might well have the freedom here to test his short stuff without restricting himself from giving the ball his full energy.

#2 Approach of the skippers

Both the skippers let the opposition get away with the scoring in their previous encounters. They have to really step up and not allow that to happen again. Misbah against India was not very impressive and could have done a better job, if rotated his bowlers wisely. After getting Shikhar Dhawan out, Suresh Raina, who walked in, shouldn’t have been allowed to settle in. Misbah should have tried for another wicket then and there, instead of having his part-timers bowl the overs.

Pakistan did bounce back later to restrict India, but it was too little too late since even 300 proved to be a big ask. What India did better was keep the pressure on in the middle overs as well due to which Pakistan kept losing wickets.

Jason Holder could have done better to try different strategies when Stirling, Joyce and Neil O’Brein put up huge partnerships to oust West Indies from the game. It will be interesting to see how he orients his bowling attack against the Pakistanis. He could take the help of one of Sunil Narine or Sulieman Benn, hoping they would be able to trick the batsmen with their spin and variation. The dropped catch was another one of his mistakes, and that is sure to play on his mind in the next game.

#1 Team Strategy

This will be a cracker of a contest. Both teams are coming into the match with a loss from their previous encounters. Pakistan lost to arch rivals India while the West Indies were not able to contain Ireland in what was close to an upset, really. Therefore, it is imperative for both sides to win this one to create chances for themselves to progress in the tournament. It is not do or die yet, but the outcome of this game will almost make it that way for the side which loses, and that is certain to play on the minds of the players as they take the field on Saturday.

Pakistan will most certainly look to improve their batting - aspects of it that let them down against India. They really have to give the role of anchor to one of the senior players – preferably Younis Khan, or if he could come a little bit up the order, Misbah-ul-Haq. They seldom keep wickets in hand, and it is Misbah in the end who has to do the finishing up, which is needless to say, that he cannot succeed every time. He may be ageless, but he is still human.

As for the West Indies, they have their bowling worries to sort out. The Irish tore them apart, and they simply can’t allow the same to happen against Pakistan if they are to give themselves a chance. They might not get the best target on board against Pakistan’s impressive bowling, so it is their bowling that will have to step up and contain the vulnerable Pakistan batting line-up. Taylor did get 3 wickets but was a tad too expensive. Kemar Roach also went for runs, and they will definitely have to get their act together for the next contest.