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Match 23 of the 2015 Cricket World Cup sees Pakistan taking on Zimbabwe from the Gabba in Brisbane. Join The Roar for live coverage of the game from 2:00pm (AEDT).
Pakistan sit in last position in pool B, with two games played and no wins – they need to start winning or face an early exit from the competition.
Pakistan’s major problem is consistency – from one game to the next it’s almost like watching a different team in the Pakistan colours.
There is no question they need early wickets against Zimbabwe to break into the strong middle order, but to do that their bowlers need to remain consistent and patient on a pitch which may not suit them. Shahid Afridi needs to use the bounce of the track to his advantage and get his spin working for him with some possible extra bounce, which could be too much for Zimbabwe.
They haven’t had a really good batting performance yet this tournament so they need to get cracking against Zimbabwe.
Currently Zimbabwe sit in fifth position with one win from three games in Pool B. While their only win to come so far was against the United Arab Emirates, they have fought hard in the other games and at times seemed to hold the ascendancy, only for their performance to fall apart.
Making the quarter-finals is not beyond Zimbabwe, but they need to win against Pakistan.
Zimbabwe’s bowling is good until they get to the batting power play, which is their major stumbling block. Their batting has been reasonable, but to go that next step and post really good totals the top of the order needs to stand up so Brendan Taylor, Sean Williams and Craig Ervine bat off a good platform rather than rebuild the innings.
The key players from each side are Shahid Afridi for Pakistan and Sean Williams for Zimbabwe. With his spin Afridi could rip the Zimbabwe line-up in half, and could also provide some valuable lower order runs. Williams has been in good form but will need another massive innings for Zimbabwe to have a chance.
Prediction
I’ll tip Zimbabwe to just fall short against a desperate Pakistan.
Join The Roar as we bring you live coverage of the Pakistan versus Zimbabwe game. Remember to leave your thoughts and comments as the game progresses.