West Indies vs Pakistan: West Indies wallop pathetic Pakistan

Match result:

The West Indies have put in a ruthless performance to open their 2019 Cricket World Cup campaign, blasting past a poor Pakistan outfit with ease at Trent Bridge.

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Final score
Pakistan 105
West Indies 3/108

Match preview:

In what could be the most unpredictable game of the 2019 Cricket World Cup, the big hitting of the West Indies will face off with inconsistent force Pakistan at Trent Bridge. Join The Roar for live scores and coverage from 7:30pm (AEST).

Both of these teams are capable of plenty, but it’s consistency which has been the issue over the years.

The West Indies come into the tournament with an explosive batting line-up which may well only rate behind England in terms of sheer ability to score runs quickly.

Playing at Trent Bridge will suit them down to the ground as well, with a typically flat pitch accompanied by short boundaries allowing for typically high totals.

It’s the ground which holds the world record ODI score, when England put 481 on Australia in 2018, while it’s had six scores over 300 this decade, which includes 340 being chased down when England played Pakistan there a couple of months ago.

This seems to be set up for another run-fest, particularly if the WIndies bat first. With names like Shai Hope, Chris Gayle and Andre Russell, they should scare every bowling attack coming into the tournament, even if they do have the ability to fold in half when it’s not their day.

What you will get out of both of these teams is aggression though, and with neither possessing an overly strong bowling attack, scores could be huge.

Pakistan do have the advantage of good spin bowling through Shadab Khan, who has taken 23 wickets ODI wickets in the last 12 months, but unless names like Mohammad Amir and Wahab Riaz can get it right, then the West Indies could have a field day.

The Pakistani batting will be a little more on the conservative side, but they still have some aggressive crickets, with Sarfraz Ahmed and Mohammed Hafeez needing to lead the charge, while Imam-ul-Haq and Fakhar Zaman building a platform from the top – as they have done fairly regularly over the last 12 or so months – is crucial.

Still, the men from the sub-continent come into the series on the back of big losses to both Australia and England, before dropping a warm-up game to Afghanistan, so confidence will be low.

Prediction
The West Indies, on paper, have the better batting line-up and should be able to do a bit more with the ball. They are a smokey for the top four, and I expect them to get off to a winning start here.

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Game information

First ball: 7:30pm (AEST)
Venue: Trent Bridge, Nottingham
TV: Live, Fox Cricket 501
Online: Live, Foxtel App, Foxtel Now, Kayo Sports
Betting: West Indies $1.85, Pakistan $1.95
Overall record: Played 133, West Indies 70, Pakistan 60, tied 3
Umpires: Marais Erasmus, Chris Gaffaney

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

Pakistan (squad)
Sarfraz Ahmed (c), Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Hafeez, Asif Ali, Shadab Khan, Imad Wasim, Haris Sohail, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Hasnain