Battle of two inconsistent batting line-ups
The batting line-ups of both teams have been inconsistent, but Pakistan's better bowling attack gives them the edge

Pakistan's varied bowling attack, led by the irrepressible Shahid Afridi, is their greatest strength • Getty Images
West Indies have been more ruthless than Pakistan in the matches against the lower-ranked teams. They beat Netherlands by 215 runs and thrashed Bangladesh in Mirpur by nine wickets. Pakistan, on the other hand, comfortably got past Zimbabwe and Kenya, but fell for 184 against Canada before eventually defending the score with some disciplined bowling. In matches played against lower-ranked teams, West Indies have the better average and run-rate difference. The story is very different against the top teams. West Indies have a poorer bowling average and economy rate than Pakistan. West Indies, who have chased and lost on two out of three occasions against top teams, might prefer to bat first and post a big score against Pakistan, who floundered in a big chase against New Zealand. In 1996, fourth-placed West Indies faced top-ranked South Africa in the quarter-finals and pulled off an incredible win defending 264, which was set up by a stunning century by Brian Lara. One of their batsmen will have to stand up and deliver a similar emphatic performance for them to upstage Pakistan.
Team | Opposition | Runs per wicket(batting) | Run rate | Runs per wicket(bowling) | Economy rate | Average diff | RR diff |
Pakistan | Test-playing teams | 28.13 | 4.87 | 28.61 | 5.07 | -0.48 | -0.20 |
West Indies | Test-playing teams | 21.16 | 4.69 | 31.91 | 5.21 | -10.75 | -0.52 |
Pakistan | non Test-playing teams and Bangladesh | 33.25 | 5.22 | 14.85 | 3.46 | 18.40 | 1.76 |
West Indies | non Test-playing teams and Bangladesh | 34.94 | 5.91 | 13.46 | 4.06 | 21.48 | 1.85 |
Pakistan and West Indies have finished top and bottom of their respective groups, but the batting performances of both teams have been inconsistent. In the match against Sri Lanka, Pakistan's batting came good and enabled them to post an excellent score of 277 which they defended successfully. Against Australia, Pakistan's brittle batting was nearly exposed while chasing a modest 176. New Zealand, however, thoroughly exploited the weaknesses in Pakistan's top order, by reducing them to 23 for 4 in pursuit of 303, from which Pakistan never recovered. Pakistan's top order has been unconvincing except for Asad Shafiq, who top-scored against Zimbabwe and Australia. Their middle order has been doing much better, but is likely to be severely tested if faced with a competitive target and quality bowling attack.
Team | Batting position | Average | Strike rate | 100s | 50s |
Pakistan | Top order (1-3) | 24.70 | 69.19 | 0 | 2 |
West Indies | Top order (1-3) | 42.62 | 81.87 | 1 | 4 |
Pakistan | Middle order (4-8) | 33.68 | 81.69 | 0 | 6 |
West Indies | Middle order (4-8) | 19.80 | 86.08 | 0 | 2 |
The consistent batting performance of the top order of West Indies is clearly reflected in the stats in the mandatory and bowling Powerplays. Their batting average and run rate are much higher than Pakistan's in the same phase of the innings. However, Pakistan have been the more incisive and economical bowling team in the first ten overs. The powerful lower-middle order of Pakistan has scored at a run rate close of 9.81 in the batting Powerplay. In the same period, though, West Indies have been unable to create an impact as a result of major middle-order collapses.
Team | Innings phase | RR | Batting Average | ER | Bowling average | Run rate diff | Dot-ball percentage | Boundary percentage |
Pakistan | Mandatory Powerplay (overs 1-10) | 4.41 | 21.33 | 3.66 | 19.85 | 0.75 | 78.16 | 58.59 |
West Indies | Mandatory Powerplay (overs 1-10) | 5.13 | 61.60 | 4.63 | 27.50 | 0.50 | 66.94 | 60.38 |
Pakistan | Bowling Powerplay | 3.58 | 34.66 | 4.50 | 33.75 | -0.92 | 67.81 | 26.92 |
West Indies | Bowling Powerplay | 5.24 | 131.00 | 4.30 | 25.80 | 0.94 | 54.66 | 44.27 |
Pakistan | Batting Powerplay | 9.81 | 52.33 | 6.00 | 11.28 | 3.81 | 38.54 | 62.42 |
West Indies | Batting Powerplay | 8.00 | 23.33 | 6.07 | 9.75 | 1.93 | 46.66 | 62.85 |
Shahid Afridi, the most successful bowler in the World Cup with 17 wickets, could be a huge threat to West Indies, given that they haven't been comfortable against spin. Umar Gul and Abdul Razzaq found form against Australia, and the right blend of pace and spin gives Pakistan a bowling edge over most teams. Pakistan's pace bowlers have been more impressive against right-handers, though, and the presence of a number of left-hand batsmen in the top order of West Indies could be a test for Pakistan's bowlers.
Type of Bowler | Type of Batsman | Average | ER |
Pakistan (pace) | RHB | 21.59 | 22 |
Pakistan (pace) | LHB | 29.66 | 4.20 |
West Indies (pace) | RHB | 16.04 | 4.95 |
West Indies (pace) | LHB | 26.66 | 4.48 |
Pakistan (spin) | RHB | 21.19 | 3.74 |
West Indies (spin) | LHB | 19.84 | 4.52 |
Pakistan (spin) | RHB | 19.42 | 5.62 |
West Indies (spin) | LHB | 53.00 | 5.18 |
In recent head-to-head clashes in global tournaments, the teams have been evenly matched. Pakistan won by five wickets in their most recent meeting in the Champions Trophy while West Indies won comfortably in their last World Cup meeting in the opening game of the 2007 World Cup. West Indies have an 8-3 record in global tournaments against Pakistan. Since 1999 though, both teams have won two games each when they have met in the World Cup and Champions Trophy. Overall, in matches played since 2000, Pakistan enjoy a much better record.