Johannesburg: Only a dramatic turnaround in form can cease Pakistan from winning their opening Champions Trophy match in contrast to West Indies at this juncture on now.
It is the barely cool match intended for Younis Khan’s Pakistanis in the four-team come together as West Indies are not including their first-choice trait following a contract row among the players and their cricket board.
Bangladesh, who come up with not even qualified intended for this match, lay the current West Indies team in proper perspective at what time they clinched both the Test and one-day run in the Caribbean this day.
Pakistan might not come up with asked intended for a better activation to their proposal to turn out to be barely the next team taking into consideration India to win three ICC-conducted tournaments — the World Cup, Twenty20 World Championship and Champions Trophy.
Pakistan, winners of the 1992 World Cup and 2009 Twenty20 Worlds, will come up with tougher assignments in the future as they clash with arch-rivals India and defending champions Australia in the after that two matches. The top two teams advance to semi-finals.
Many feel with the purpose of a useless West Indies trait is not the finest advertisement intended for the match, especially at what time the 50-over format is under pressure from the growing popularity of the Twenty20 cricket.
“The West Indies come up with for ever and a day been my favourite team and I’d love to compete in contrast to a full-strength trait,” Younis had supposed recently.
Star performers Chris Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Shivanaraine Chanderpaul and Dwayne Bravo all are missing from the squad, presently led by Floyd Reifer.
The focus will be on Pakistani paceman Mohammad Asif, inveterate to one-day cricket taking into consideration serving a one-year veto intended for a abortive dope test.
With Pakistan announcing their singing eleven barely on the morning of the match, it is yet to be seen whether they will disturb a complete combination to accommodate Asif in contrast to the West Indies.
Reifer supposed in a modern interview with the purpose of his team were strong to lay in an impressive peformance.
“I feel like the relations in the Caribbean to know with the purpose of this is a West Indies team with the purpose of is dyed-in-the-wool to the West Indies cricket. This is not a second-string team,” Reifer supposed.
The West Indies were winners in 2004 and runners-up in 2006.
The teams:
Pakistan (from):
Younis Khan (capt), Imran Nazir, Misbah-ul-Haq, Umer Akmal, Shoaib Malik, Shahid Afridi, Rana Naved-ul Hasan, Fawad Alam, Mohammad Yousuf, Kamran Akmal, Umar Gul, Mohammad Aamir, Mohammad Asif, Rao Iftikhar, Saeed Ajmal.
West Indies: Floyd Reifer (capt), Darren Sammy, David Bernard, Tino Best, Royston Crandon, Travis Dowlin, Andre Fletcher, Nikita Miller, Kevin McLean, Kieran Powell, Dale Richards, Kemar Roach, Devon Smith, Gavin Tonge, Chadwick Walton
Umpires: Steve Davis (AUS) and Daryl Harper (AUS).
Small screen umpire: Simon Taufel (AUS).
Match mediate: Javagal Srinath (IND)
