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ICC World Cup 2019: West Indies vs Pakistan: Hasan Ali's battle with Chris Gayle to be the focus of the game
Two teams capable of springing a surprise, West Indies and Pakistan, will face-off against each other on Friday at Trent Bridge.
The second game of the ICC World Cup 2019 promises to be an exciting battle between the young guns from Pakistan and the big hitting veterans from West Indies. However, it is the battle between Hasan Ali and Chris Gayle that will have the audiences on the toes when one of the greatest ODI batters of all time takes guard against a fresh and exciting fast bowler from Pakistan.
Chris Gayle, who has had a stellar run in 2019, is playing his last World Cup and will be eager to kick-start the edition with a flier here. The track at Trent Bridge is likely to be flat and placid, and with small boundaries present around the ground, players who hit the ball like Gayle will flourish. Though he is approaching 40, he shows no signs of stopping, and if his form in the Indian Premier League is anything to go by, he will be raring to take on the bowlers.
The left-hander is approaching 12,000 ODI runs, and he has been given the vice-captaincy role for the tournament. With an ODI strike rate of around 90, the opener is unstoppable when he gets going, and the responsibility of sending him back to the pavilion will rest on Hasan Ali’s shoulders.
Hasan Ali will be leading the pace department for Pakistan after Mohammad Amir’s decline in the last few years. He made a mark in the 2017 Champions Trophy that was also held in England when he scalped 13 wickets, and his heroics were a major reason for Pakistan’s winning campaign. Capable of bowling a variety of deliveries at 90 mph, Ali remains the go-to bowler for Sarfaraz Ahmed. He has 80 wickets in 47 innings in the format with a bowling average of 26.56, and if he can trouble Gayle upfront, Pakistan can fancy their chances.
