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ToggleSarfraz Ahmed-led Pakistan will be up against high-flying West Indies in their World Cup-opener on Saturday (May 31) at Trent Bridge. Pakistan’s form since the Champions Trophy triumph has been dismal. They suffered whitewashes at the hands of New Zealand, Australia and recently lost 4-0 to England after the first game was washed out.
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They have lost their last ten ODIs as well as the warm-up game against Afghanistan. Unsurprisingly, they will have to be at their absolute best to get over the line against West Indies who are brimming with confidence. At the start of 2019, West Indies drew the ODI series against England 2-2 to show that they are a force to reckon with in ODIs. The addition of Andre Russell to the team has only made them stronger. The Jason Holder-led side have already shown what to expect from them by smashing 421 against New Zealand in their warm-up clash.
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And while only time will tell how Pakistan fare against West Indies, their skipper Sarfraz Ahmed has boldly claimed that all the teams are scared of ‘unpredictable’ Pakistan.
“I think it’s good to be unpredictable,”Sarfraz said. “All teams are scared because of Pakistan. The Pakistan team is very dangerous.”
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Well, taking Pakistan lightly is probably the biggest mistake in this game. They have always found a way of winning games and one just cannot see why they cannot win the World Cup. Two years ago, they had won the Champions Trophy against all the odds are definitely capable of repeating those heroics again.
The likes of Imam-ul-Haq (1238 at 61.90), Fakhar Zaman (1092 at 54.60) and Babar Azam (950 at 52.77) are in stunning form. The bowling lineup is also looking strong although the bowlers have not looked sharp in recent months. But with pitches in England set to be seamer-friendly, the likes of Mohammad Amir, Wahab Riaz and others could create havoc.