Match Previews / Andrew Hughes / 22 March 2011 /

Pakistan are some people's favourites to win the World Cup, but the West Indies are also capable of springing a surprise in this clash of the enigmas.

London Start Time: 08:30
Venue and Conditions
Bangladesh collapsed twice on this pitch, but that probably says more about their batting frailty than the nature of the surface. The tracks prepared at the Shere Bangla are not raging turners, but are usually pretty slow with loopy bounce and are not conducive to flashy stroke making. Although it is day-night game, the forecast is for a pretty warm day and at this time of year, dew is unlikely to be a factor.

Team News
West Indies have some selection headaches. Chris Gayle and top pace bowler Kemar Roach will return, but who to drop? It would be harsh on either Ravi Rampaul or Andre Russell if they had to stand down, but the same goes for second spinner Devendra Bishoo. And has Shivnarine Chanderpaul played his last World Cup game?

Having moved Kamran Akmal up to open with Mohammed Hafeez, Pakistan are relatively settled and their only selection dilemma likely to be whether to go with fast bowler Wahab Riaz or the soon to be retired Shoaib Akhtar.

Match Odds
The first of the quarter-finals could have us on the edge of our seats. Both of these teams have big hitters and exciting bowlers and are capable of being brilliant or dreadful within the same game. But Pakistan are the clear favourites at [1.54] and deservedly so. The West Indies have looked good in patches and came close to beating both England and India, but they couldn't quite pull it off, their tendency to collapse in a heap when the pressure is on costing them dear. Perhaps most tellingly, they have continued to struggle against spin and that is where Pakistan could make most inroads into the West Indian batting line-up. Though Gayle and Roach can decide matches on their own, it is hard to see past Pakistan.

Top Batsman
Chris Gayle may still be a little inhibited by his abdominal injury and, with the final batting line-up unclear, it makes sense to side with Mr Consistency, Devon Smith, who has been very impressive all tournament and can be backed at [5.0].

Asad Shafiq has impressed in his two games but in these high pressure games, it is best to rely on the old hands and either Younis Khan or Misbah ul Haq fit the bill, with preference for Misbah at [6.4]

Featured Market
Both of these teams are capable of folding in a heap resulting in a low scoring game and on a pitch that can be tricky to adjust to, it could be worth backing 'Under 82.5' in the Highest Individual Partnership market at [1.8] or better.

Best Bet

Andrew Hughes says: Back Devon Smith to top score for West Indies @ [5.0]

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