World Cup 2019: 3 reasons why Pakistan might lose to West Indies at Trent Bridge

The World Cup 2019 is up and running with the inaugural game between the hosts England and South Africa at The Oval in London. Living up to the 'favorites', hosts England were too good for the Proteas on the given day. The Faf du Plessis-led side fell short by 104 runs in pursuit of a target of 311 runs and gave England a bright start to the tournament.

For the second game, the focus now shifts to another exciting fixture lined up to be played at Trent Bridge in Nottingham. Match 2 of the World Cup will see two teams with similar problems as they fight to get rid of their 'tag of unpredictability' in this tournament. West Indies will square off against Pakistan, a team which is coming into the competition at the back of two successive series losses and yet could be the dark horses.

On the other hand, West Indies will look to carry their winning momentum from the win against New Zealand in the warm-up game into their opening fixture. Currently, it is no surprise that the Jason Holder-led side is better poised than their opponents, who have plenty to ponder upon before they kick-start their campaign.

Here is a look at three reasons why Pakistan might lose to West Indies at Trent Bridge.

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#1 Awful run of form in the lead-up to the World Cup

Pakistan enter the WC on a 10-match losing streak

It was believed that Pakistan would be the best placed team in terms of their preparations for the World Cup with their five-match ODI series against England just ahead of the tournament. However, the 4-0 series loss caused a havoc in the Pakistani think-tank to re-juggle their plans for the mega tournament, forcing them to make three changes in their World Cup squad.

Even before the series loss to England, Pakistan was thrashed by Australia in UAE with a clean sweep in the five-match ODI series. Though it was argued that it wasn't the full strength Pakistan squad on the field, the result was still not ideal.

As the 'Men in Green' gear up for their clash against West Indies, Sarfaraz Ahmed and his team find themselves facing a ten-match losing streakin and it will require them to put up a collective effort to evade thoughts of any previous losses and give their best on the day.

#2 Failure of frontline seamers

Amir's performance will have a direct bearing on Pakistan's WC campaign

A country which is known to produce pacers from every nook and corner is now suffering to put together a fine group of fast bowlers to torment the opposition batsmen. The biggest concern for Pakistan has been their struggle to pick wickets upfront, hence giving the opposition an opportunity to explode through the middle-overs.

Mohammad Amir has been a huge letdown ever since his match-winning spell against India in the Champions Trophy Final in 2017. His dip in form, especially in ODI cricket, can be attributed to a consistent fall of pace and his inability to make the most of the movement early on.

With Amir not in the best of form, Pakistan had to turn back to Wahab Riaz for more experience and his ability to reverse the ball at pace during the death overs to play a massive role in the World Cup. The team would hope that this move would infuse confidence in the bowling group and deliver the goods with consistency throughout the tournament.

#3 Struggle for the right combination

Shoaib Malik will play his last World Cup

In the recent past, Pakistan has often been criticized for their lack of clarity over the perfect combination for the team. They lack a quality seam-bowling all-rounder who can be a vital cog in conditions that are tailor-made for players with such ability.

They do possess a bowling all-rounder in Imad Wasim who might not be too effective on pitches in England. Also, questions have been raised over skipper Sarfaraz's batting position in the lineup. The team management seem to be pushing him lower in the batting order, while the experts think he is apt to bat in the top three.

With their three front-line pacers certain to play, Pakistan would have to accommodate Asif Ali in the lower middle-order, who has a knack of contributing with his hard-hitting skills in the slog overs. This has always been a point of discussion in Pakistan cricket with Malik, Hafeez, and Haris Sohail, in the fray for the two spots up for grabs in the middle-order.