CRICKET WORLD CUP: One of cricket’s fiercest rivalries takes place at Old Trafford on Sunday, as India and Pakistan go head-head.
India remain unbeaten after their match vs New Zealand was abandoned on Thursday due to rain. That moves them onto five points. Pakistan suffered their second defeat of the tournament last Wednesday losing by 41 runs to Australia. They remain on three points, so their need for points is greater. As this article is being written, India are priced 1.4 on the Betdaq Exchange and Pakistan are priced 3.0.
A lot was expected of India at the start of the Tournament and so far they have delivered on that promise with wins over South Africa and Australia. Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Darwin have both scored centuries. After a poor batting display vs South Africa, Virat Kohli was back to old self vs Australia scoring 82. From a batting point of view they just need MS Dhoni to find form and they will take some stopping. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah are bowling very strongly. Both players have claimed five wickets each.
Despite scoring 348 runs vs England, Pakistan batting displays are yet to catch fire. No players have scored a century in three innings. Mohammad Hafeez is their highest runs scorer with 146. If Pakistan are seriously going to threaten for a Semi-Final spot, they will players to start hitting three figures in their innings. At the other end Mohammad Amir has been the stand out bowler. He claimed the first fifer of this World Cup vs Australia and all three of Pakistan wickets vs West Indies. He has 10 wickets, making him the highest wicket taker in the tournament.
I feel this game is going to come down to who wins the toss. India are very strong at batting and if they win the toss I expect them to bat first. They will look to build a big score as Pakistan dont look like a team who will consistently hit over 300. If Pakistan win the toss, I would be shocked if they don’t bowl first given Amir form. They will be aiming for a target that is in the potential of their batters. India look a more settled all round team at the moment. Thankfully the weather forecast looks good for Manchester, so we should be in for a treat with India to come away with the bragging rights.
Verdict: India
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