It has been a turbulent few months for West Indies cricket, culminating in a demoralising defeat against Ireland. But on Saturday, the players gave a glimpse of how strong they can be if they worked together as a team

Andre Russell, whose all-round performance helped West Indies to a thumping win over Pakistan, believes the conditions were ideal for his late flourish, as he thumped 42 off 13 balls

From Pakistan's sloppy work in the field to West Indies' struggle in the Powerplay - the plays of the day from Christchurch

Darren Bravo is expected to miss at least the next two matches of West Indies' World Cup campaign after suffering a low-grade tear to his left hamstring

Pakistan have both their selection and batting to get right in a game against a team that is in as much of a hole as they are

Pakistan and West Indies each having been shorn of their most effective bowler, they have also been stripped of confidence in the lead-up to the tournament

Sean Williams had felt flustered when he came in with the match in the balance against South Africa, but he quickly learned his lesson against the UAE

In Nelson, UAE offered further proof, if it was necessary, that the ICC's theory of leaving the Associates out of the next World Cup is a load of rubbish

Plays of the day from the group B match between UAE and Zimbabwe played in Nelson

Elton Chigumbura, the Zimbabwe captain, has said his men will enter their match against UAE in Nelson with some confidence after their encouraging performance against South Africa

Far from the cavernous MCG, where they played a warm-up match against Australia last week, the UAE will begin their World Cup campaign in the small New Zealand city of Nelson on Thursday

Mitchell Marsh's all-round performance in the World Cup opening game against England will create a selection dilemma for Australia once James Faulkner returns to the squad

After a shambolic ending at the MCG, the ICC must act to restore the integrity of the umpiring process

The differences between Australia and England with bat and ball were stark, but so were those in the field

In front of 84,336 fans at the MCG, Aaron Finch scored 135, Mitchell Marsh took 5 for 33, and Australia subjected England to their second-biggest World Cup loss in terms of runs

Shane Warne believes Michael Clarke is fitter than he has been for five years and should have been picked for Australia's World Cup opener against England on Saturday

Though he is going to lead Australia in their World Cup opener against England, George Bailey knows that he is likely to be left out when Michael Clarke returns

The home advantage, their present form, the depth in their squad - the ingredients are in place for Australia to win the World Cup. Staying focussed could be their biggest challenge

Michael Clarke will not be rushed back for Australia's World Cup opener against England at the MCG despite his encouraging performance in a warm-up win over the UAE