India and Pakistan are slated to take on each other at the Old Trafford Cricket Ground in Manchester on Sunday, but all the headlines have been stolen by the weather. Rains have lashed the United Kingdom over the last week, with four matches of the World Cup having been abandoned already. Rains stayed away in Manchester on Saturday morning, with both the teams seen having training sessions. However, just as the teams left the field in the late afternoon, the rains came down again.
India and Pakistan are slated to take on each other at the Old Trafford Cricket Ground in Manchester on Sunday, but all the headlines have been stolen by the weather. Rains have lashed the United Kingdom over the last week, with four matches of the World Cup having been abandoned already. Rains stayed away in Manchester on Saturday morning, with both the teams seen having training sessions. However, just as the teams left the field in the late afternoon, the rains came down again.
Looking for passes for the Ind-Pak clash? @imVkohli has a special message for you guys ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ‘ŒðŸ‘Œ #TeamIndia #CWC19 #INDvPAK pic.twitter.com/Ffahfp90Wz
— BCCI (@BCCI) June 15, 2019
Key Players: The most anticipated duel in this match, only next to the one between the clouds and the sun in Manchester, is the battle between Virat Kohli and Mohammad Amir. Kohli announced himself on the 2019 World Cup stage with an 82 against Australia. Amir has also shed his indifferent form and come to life in the World Cup. He had figures of 5/30 against Australia.
The other duel which has a lot of interest is the one between Jasprit Bumrah and Pakistan’s top order. Imam ul Haq, Fakhar Zaman and Babar Azam have looked dangerous at times, but have often thrown their wickets away after good starts. Bumrah, on the other hand, is looking to be at his usual dangerous best.
Team News: The one big change in the India playing XI will be the forced change that will have to be made at the top of the order because of the injury to Shikhar Dhawan‘s thumb. KL Rahul, who has batted at No.4 in the World Cup, is expected to be pushed up the order to partner Rohit Sharma. Who takes on the No.4 role is the big question. Dinesh Karthik or Vijay Shankar are the two options for direct replacements. The other option is to push MS Dhoni, Hardik Pandya and Kedar Jadhav up the order to accommodate either Karthik or Shankar below them.
For Pakistan, the big question will be which of Shoaib Malik, Shadab Khan and Shaheen Afridi to drop. Afridi was brought into the team at the expense of Shadab in Pakistan’s last match, but the youngster leaked runs. Bringing back Shadab into the XI in place of Shaheen Afridi might be the way they go.
Weather and Playing Conditions: The rain stopped in the late afternoon in Manchester but the outfield remains a cause of concern. Soggy patches have developed in certain areas. The nature of the outfield was why India’s match against New Zealand had to be called off earlier this week. The drainage system at the Old Trafford ground will be put to the test.
There is a worrying forecast for tomorrow as well. According to the Met department, there is more than 50% chance of rain around noon and between 5 pm and 7 pm (BST) on Sunday.
There have been 45 ODIs played at this ground, with only 18 matches won by the side batting first. The average first innings score in Manchester since 2015 has been just 212. Add to this that rain might come down at any stage in the match, the obvious decision for the captain who wins the toss on Sunday would be to bowl first.
Huddle ahead of training session in Manchester.#WeHaveWeWill #CWC19 pic.twitter.com/iqIbyaDGcO
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) June 15, 2019
Recent Form: India are unbeaten in the World Cup so far. They have beaten South Africa and Australia so far and were denied a chance of going up against New Zealand because of inclement weather. Pakistan have been their usual hot-and-cold self – they rolled over hosts England but slumped to defeats versus West Indies and Australia.
India are currently 3rd on the points table with 5 points from 3 matches. Pakistan are 8th on the table, with 3 points from 4 matches.
Squads:
India: Rohit Sharma, Lokesh Rahul, Virat Kohli(c), Vijay Shankar, MS Dhoni(w), Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja, Dinesh Karthik, Mohammed Shami
Pakistan: Imam-ul-Haq, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Mohammad Hafeez, Sarfaraz Ahmed(w/c), Shoaib Malik, Asif Ali, Hasan Ali, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Amir, Shaheen Afridi, Shadab Khan, Imad Wasim, Haris Sohail, Mohammad Hasnain
Looking for passes for the Ind-Pak clash? @imVkohli has a special message for you guys ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ‘ŒðŸ‘Œ #TeamIndia #CWC19 #INDvPAK pic.twitter.com/Ffahfp90Wz
— BCCI (@BCCI) June 15, 2019
Key Players: The most anticipated duel in this match, only next to the one between the clouds and the sun in Manchester, is the battle between Virat Kohli and Mohammad Amir. Kohli announced himself on the 2019 World Cup stage with an 82 against Australia. Amir has also shed his indifferent form and come to life in the World Cup. He had figures of 5/30 against Australia.
The other duel which has a lot of interest is the one between Jasprit Bumrah and Pakistan’s top order. Imam ul Haq, Fakhar Zaman and Babar Azam have looked dangerous at times, but have often thrown their wickets away after good starts. Bumrah, on the other hand, is looking to be at his usual dangerous best.
Team News: The one big change in the India playing XI will be the forced change that will have to be made at the top of the order because of the injury to Shikhar Dhawan‘s thumb. KL Rahul, who has batted at No.4 in the World Cup, is expected to be pushed up the order to partner Rohit Sharma. Who takes on the No.4 role is the big question. Dinesh Karthik or Vijay Shankar are the two options for direct replacements. The other option is to push MS Dhoni, Hardik Pandya and Kedar Jadhav up the order to accommodate either Karthik or Shankar below them.
For Pakistan, the big question will be which of Shoaib Malik, Shadab Khan and Shaheen Afridi to drop. Afridi was brought into the team at the expense of Shadab in Pakistan’s last match, but the youngster leaked runs. Bringing back Shadab into the XI in place of Shaheen Afridi might be the way they go.
Weather and Playing Conditions: The rain stopped in the late afternoon in Manchester but the outfield remains a cause of concern. Soggy patches have developed in certain areas. The nature of the outfield was why India’s match against New Zealand had to be called off earlier this week. The drainage system at the Old Trafford ground will be put to the test.
There is a worrying forecast for tomorrow as well. According to the Met department, there is more than 50% chance of rain around noon and between 5 pm and 7 pm (BST) on Sunday.
There have been 45 ODIs played at this ground, with only 18 matches won by the side batting first. The average first innings score in Manchester since 2015 has been just 212. Add to this that rain might come down at any stage in the match, the obvious decision for the captain who wins the toss on Sunday would be to bowl first.
Huddle ahead of training session in Manchester.#WeHaveWeWill #CWC19 pic.twitter.com/iqIbyaDGcO
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) June 15, 2019
Recent Form: India are unbeaten in the World Cup so far. They have beaten South Africa and Australia so far and were denied a chance of going up against New Zealand because of inclement weather. Pakistan have been their usual hot-and-cold self – they rolled over hosts England but slumped to defeats versus West Indies and Australia.
India are currently 3rd on the points table with 5 points from 3 matches. Pakistan are 8th on the table, with 3 points from 4 matches.
Squads:
India: Rohit Sharma, Lokesh Rahul, Virat Kohli(c), Vijay Shankar, MS Dhoni(w), Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja, Dinesh Karthik, Mohammed Shami
Pakistan: Imam-ul-Haq, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Mohammad Hafeez, Sarfaraz Ahmed(w/c), Shoaib Malik, Asif Ali, Hasan Ali, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Amir, Shaheen Afridi, Shadab Khan, Imad Wasim, Haris Sohail, Mohammad Hasnain