pakistan vs india battle on paper in icc worldcup2015

Less than 3 weeks remain to the start of the 2015 Cricket World Cup but for the fans of India and Pakistan the wait is exaggerated for one more day as the two teams lock horns in their campaign openers on February 15^th. With each India-Pakistan game come a string of far too many other things. It may look like that 22 players, 11 from each side, fight for their respective country in a sports field but the fact that with these 22 players the whole subcontinent has its hearts come of their mouth, can never be forgotten.  Days and months away from the match date, the fans from the countries start to plan about the match. Each and every fan turns into a chief selector and wants the best XI to face their opponent. CricTracker too got its hand on the opportunity to compare the possible eleven from both the cricketing giants.
Ahmed Shehzad vs Shikhar Dhawan
Both made their debuts around the same time frame. Both didn’t have a good debut. Both have just recently completed their half-century of ODIs. Both have exactly the same amount of ODI hundreds and nearly equal ODI runs. The only thing that both players differ in is their recent ODI form. Shikhar Dhawan has failed miserably in the ongoing Australian tour while Ahmed Shehzad was Pakistan’s best batsman in 2014. Shikhar Dhawan played really well in the Champions Trophy in England to earn the Man of the Series Award but in the recent past he has had his problems against the seaming ball but Shehzad looked at ease against the same in his recent outings.
 
Mohammad Hafeez vs Rohit Sharma
Both made their comebacks after being dropped earlier in the career. Both are the best openers for their country after the 2011 world cup. Both somehow have earned the captain’s trust and never get dropped anymore. The factor that played the most important part in Hafeez’s success was his tight off-spins. To prove this fact, I may present that Mohammad Hafeez was the most economical limited overs bowler in the whole cricketing world since 2011 until he his action was declared illegal by the ICC. Considering both now as full-time batsman, Rohit Sharma is a better pick to survive in seaming and swinging conditions at Australia/New Zealand.

Younis Khan vs Ajinkya Rahane
This is another well-balanced comparison. Both the batsmen have had their share of success in the shorter format. Both will bat at no.3, a position known to be the backbone of any batting line-up. Teams play their best batsman at no. 3 and India did play their best Virat Kohli until recently when Kohli wanted youngsters to take a feel of the increased responsibility. In my opinion, the battle will be a balanced one considering the recent forms from both sides, but Younis Khan may take a slight advantage. Younis Khan returned to the ODI in Pakistan’s previous series and made it to the WC squad with a 100 ODI while Ajinkya Rahane has been an essential figure in the Indian batting line-up off late. Another factor that could affect Rahane negatively is his batting position; he started as an opener, then moved into the middle-order, then back as an opener and now sits at no. 3.

haris sohail vs viat kohli

If someone had to name top 3 batsman of any format in cricket right now, Virat Kohli will surely be the one from the three. There isn’t a single record that this guy didn’t feast upon and his Pakistani opponent Haris Sohail will be well aware of that. Both the batsman may be of same age-group but Virat Kohli has a much greater experience going into this world cup. 6200+ runs in just 140 innings with 21 centuries and 33 half-centuries compared to mere 280 runs in 8 innings with 2 half-centuries – even a dumb can pick the better of the two but considering the talent the two guys possess, both appear to be the backbone of their batting line-up and it will be an even and good contest between the two youngsters to outshine his counterpart.

Misbah-ul-Haq vs Suresh Raina
One is a 40-year old captain of his country and one is a 29-year old youngster. Though they bat at the same number but the role both play in their teams is way opposite to each other. One is forced come out early because of a batting collapse and act as an anchor for a respectable total while the other has to usually bat in the middle overs and take the game towards a high end finish. One is vulnerable to heaps and heaps of criticism from his countrymen for batting slow while the other is an established middle-order batsman. If the recent form and the role of both in their teams is set as the criteria then Misbah-ul-Haq will have a better hand on Suresh Raina. He has all the team revolving around him, taking his time to settle and then unleash his wrath towards the latter part of the innings.
Umar Akmal vs MS Dhoni
Regarded as the best finishers, both Umar Akmal and MS Dhoni play a key role in their team’s batting. Not to forget that MS Dhoni is the captain, most successful, of India and keeps wickets too. The defending world cup captain is more expected to not panic and keep his head calm in pressure situations while Umar Akmal has been found guilty of playing rash shots and thug every ball out of the park but this has seen a decline in important games. Both the batsman will start this year’s campaign as the batsmen with highest average in the mega event and will surely look to build on their average and runs tally. In my opinion, both are equally talented and hard working and deserve a 50-50 tie.
Shahid Afridi vs Ravindra Jadeja
Shahid Afridi will be the highest wicket-taker in the world cup and with Saeed Ajmal’s exclusion due to a ban; he will be the lone spearhead of Pakistan’s bowling attack. Both the all-rounders are more bowlers than batsmen but ride on a fan-hyped misconception of being better batsmen. We all know what Shahid Afridi can do with the bat on his day and with the ball, he tasted his best outing in the previous edition of the world cup when he earned the title of ‘Leading wicket-taker in the event’.  Ravindra Jadeja has also earned Dhoni’s trust in yester years and he redeemed the trust with great success with the ball and at time with the bat. Experience, more likely to perform under-pressure, added advantage to tear apart any bowling line-up on his day and being able to contribute as an all-rounder more often than Jadeja – makes Shahid Afridi a better pick between these two.
Sarfraz Ahmed vs Ravichandran Ashwin
There is nothing much to compare between these two guys. Sarfraz is a genuinely explosive wicket-keeper batsman while Ravichandran Ashwin is a spin-bowling all-rounder who can bat longer when conditions are favorable. Both has tasted luck in their respective departments and appear to the country’s best man according to the tasks and responsibility they get. 50-50 but Ravichandran Ashwin is more likely to perform better and trouble his opponents.
Junaid Khan/Bilawal Bhatti/Sohail Khan*, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Irfan vs Mohammad Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ishant Sharma
* Junaid Khan was injured when the team left for New Zealand. Bilawal Bhatti is expected to replace him.
The pace attack will be the weaker link for both the teams going into this world cup. India’s most experienced pacer Ishant Sharma has played 75 ODIs and Junaid Khan, Pakistan’s most experienced pacer, has played 48 matches. Based on the recent form on success, the two pace attacks had in the near past, the two sides match equally to each other with one of the three from each side outshining the remaining two on his day. Pakistan’s pace attack will have a slight advantage over India because of Mohammad Irfan. The tall, gangly fast bowler rests at 7 feet and 1 inch and on faster pitches in Australia and New Zealand is likely to generate enough bounce to get the batsmen to their toes and face some chin-music.  Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been found to move the ball both ways in seaming conditions and has troubled Pakistan openers in the past. Wahab Riaz, in his last meeting vs India in a mega event, became only the 2^nd bowler to take a 5-fer in a India-Pakistan world cup game and he will surely look to repeat the same, if given a chance this season.

NZ take series with 120-run win

New Zealand 315 for 8 (Williamson 97, Taylor 96) beat Sri Lanka 195 (Sangakkara 81, Anderson 4-52) by 120 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Ross Taylor's 96 was his first half-century of the series © Getty Images

A 117-run third-wicket stand between Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor was the centrepiece of New Zealand's imposing 315 for 8, which founded a 120-run victory against an ailing Sri Lanka. Williamson and Taylor hit 97 and 96 respectively, on a track not offering much beyond the first 20 overs, before Corey Anderson and Grant Elliott provided late-order acceleration to transform the total from dominant to daunting. Anderson also claimed 4 for 52 with the ball, as the hosts sewed up the series. They lead 4-1 with one match to play.
Sri Lanka arrived in New Zealand with high hopes for their southern-hemisphere season, but with one win out of seven matches in all, their World Cup plans have veered towards disarray. Once more, a vital catch was dropped. A straightforward chance from Williamson was spurned, and the batsman went on to make 70 more runs. Again the bowling failed to penetrate beyond the early overs, as the hosts' top order worked themselves into form.
And for the fourth time in the series, Sri Lanka's batsmen collapsed around a good innings from one of the senior three batsmen. It was Kumar Sangakkara's turn to wage a lone battle this time. He hit 81 from 66, as the team slipped to 195 all out in the 41st over.
In the first innings, Williamson played and missed while the ball was still new enough to move in the air and off the seam, but quickly established a tempo while Martin Guptill struggled at the other end. A back-foot punch off Suranga Lakmal brought him his first boundary, before an on-drive and a leg glance off Dhammika Prasad brought two more, a few overs later.
When Rangana Herath's spin arrived, Williamson used his feet adeptly, often trekking out of his ground to work balls into gaps. Herath should have had him for 27 in the 15th over, but Sri Lanka's trend of shelling vital catches continued. Dilshan got his hands to lofted cover-drive, but ended up parrying it over his head, having misjudged the pace at which the ball was coming to him.
Taylor was watchful early in his innings, as he sought to shake off a run of poor form. But he appeared to regain fluency after he hit Thisara Perera for four through the covers in the 18th over, and he and Williamson settled into a pattern of risk-free accumulation. They traveled at around four runs an over until Williamson raised the rate with two beautifully timed sixes over wide long on in the 24th and 26th overs, completing his half-century, off 60 balls, in between.
The pair continued smoothly as Lahiru Thirimanne got overs out of his less capable bowlers, partly to make up for those the still-injured Angelo Mathews would ordinarily contribute, but also because Lakmal had left the field with a groin strain, and could bowl no more than seven overs. Williamson was well on track to hitting his second hundred in three innings when he was run out, effectively by Taylor who did not respond to Williamson's call for a second. Williamson departed for 97 from 95 balls, despondent though he had put New Zealand on course for a second consecutive score of over 300.
Taylor completed his first fifty of the series in the same over Williamson fell, and quickly meted out punishment during the batting Powerplay, cracking Prasad square on the off side twice in the 37th over. A promoted Anderson began his charge too, walloping three fours himself in a Perera over that disappeared for 19, but just as he was getting his big hits humming, Herath had him caught at the cow corner fence.
Taylor would depart in sight of his 12th ODI ton not long after, trapped plumb in front by a yorker-length Dilshan ball. But though wickets tumbled towards the end of the innings, Grant Elliott's big strikes ensured that the foundation New Zealand had constructed at 40 overs - when they had 229 for 3 - would result in another commanding score.
That New Zealand did not achieve a total as great as their 360 on Friday, despite having been 175 for 2 after 34 overs, was thanks in part to Herath's control and Dhammika Prasad's intensity. The pair were brought into the side for this match in place of Nuwan Kulasekara and Sachithra Senanayake.
Sri Lanka's response began with some promise, as the openers progressed to 56 without loss in the 13th over, before a wild Dilshan swipe sent a nick through to the keeper, off Anderson. Thirimanne was strangled down the leg side next over for 29, as the team's efforts to find a decent opening partner for Dilshan had him batting at the top of the innings again.
Mahela Jayawardene was visibly out of touch, and was almost out twice to Daniel Vettori, who was playing a record 280th ODI for New Zealand. Though it was the spinner that troubled him, Jayawardene would be out to Anderson, scooping him gently to mid on in an attempt to correct his languishing scoring rate.
Kyle Mills, Trent Boult and Vettori all contributed mean spells of bowling, sending the asking rate ever higher, and it was that pressure that saw Dimuth Karunaratne hole out for 26, and saw both Dinesh Chandimal and Jeevan Mendis cheaply run out. Sri Lanka were always going to struggle after a big top-order partnership eluded them, but Sangakkara's dismissal in the 38th over effectively sealed the loss. He was out trying to lift his tour nemesis Boult over the inner ring. A third run-out and another high catch in the circle finished the match off.