Fight for the final spots
Sri Lanka vs Pakistan: A clash between two sub-continent giants. This match will be a tug of war between these teams, who both have conditions tailor-made for them. Both rely on spinners heavily, while their batting lineups lack fire power. If everything goes well, we can expect a cracker of a game.
Strengths of Sri lanka:
Jayawardene’s leadership and his batting form will be a huge factor for them, and we’ll have to wait and see if he can continue his form against Pakistan. Spinners Mendis and Dhananjaya will surely be Lanka’s trump cards for the semi-finals. Malinga got back his rhythm in the last match against England, and that would be a huge boost for them considering the fact that he can bowl well with both the new ball as well as the old.
Weaknesses of Sri Lanka:
Their batting lacks fire power, and there is no power hitter who can completely turn the game around for them. Although they have few all rounders who can bat, they have not really been tested in this tournament. They rely a lot on Jayawardene. Mendis’ inconsistency is also bothering them, as he bowls brilliantly on one day and poorly on another. Malinga too had a poor tournament before the previous game.
Strengths of Pakistan:
Spin is Pakistan’s strength, as they have best the spin bowler in the world in Saeed Ajmal. Hafeez, Hasan and Afridi can chip in overs quickly and efficiently too. Hafeez has proved his worth with the ball in the powerplay overs. Umar Gul‘s bowling at the death is an asset. Naseer Jamshed’s batting is improving by the game, and he plays a key role in this inexperienced and weak batting lineup.
Weaknesses of Pakistan:
Batting is Pakistan’s weakness, as they don’t have a settled batting order. Except Naseer Jamshed, no one has shown signs of staying at the wicket for long. Umar Akmal is batting too far down the order. Another factor is their fielding, which has let them down on numerous occasions.
Australia vs West Indies: A clash of two powerhouses. If the curators prepare a batting friendly pitch, we are most likely to witness a run feast in this match. Both sides consist of destructive players, and this can be anybody’s game, with the Aussies slight favourites.
Strengths of Australia:
Watson. He is a huge strength for the Australian team with both bat and ball. The Aussies’ top order is dangerous and can destroy any bowling attack on their day. Their fast bowlers are bowling well and Doherty’s form is huge boost for them.
Weaknesses of Australia:
Their batting is top heavy. They rely heavily on their top three of Watson, Warner and Hussey. If their oppositions can get rid of these three early, then their middle order will fall like a pack of cards. The same happened against Pakistan in their last Super Eight game. The Aussie middle order is struggling against spin, and considering the fact that the West Indies have Sunil Narine among their ranks, the Aussies should be careful.
Strengths of West Indies:
Their top order. Chris Gayle, Charles and Samuels are firing for them consistently. Ravi Rampaul and Narine will be key players for them in the semi final against Australia. They have numerous power hitters in their team, who can completely turn the game in their favour.
Weaknesses of West Indies:
West Indies run the risk of losing quick wickets and crumbling under pressure. They also rely heavily on Narine. All the power-hitting all-rounders like Pollard, Russell and Bravo have not lived up to expectations so far in this tournament.
One thing is for sure. It is all set up to be two brilliant games.