ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 – India vs Pakistan Preview & Prediction
THE FACTS
When is India vs Pakistan taking place? Sunday 16th June – 10:30 (UK)
Where is India vs Pakistan taking place? Old Trafford, Manchester
What is the expected weather for India vs Pakistan? 16-17c with a 40-50% chance of rain late afternoon that could affect play
What television channel is India vs Pakistan on in the UK? Sky Sports Cricket
Where can I stream India vs Pakistan? Sky Sports subscribers can stream the match live on Sky Go
Where can I get tickets for India vs Pakistan? Tickets can still be purchased for this match.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
Last meeting: India beat Pakistan by 9 wickets
THE TEAM NEWS
INDIA
Coach: Ravi Shastri
Captain: Virat Kohli
- India maintained their unbeaten start the competition on Thursday as their match against New Zealand at Trent Bridge became the fourth of the tournament to succumb to the inclement weather so both teams had to suffice with a point apiece.
- The failure to have the coin toss meant that India’s plans of replacing Shikhar Dhawan was not revealed but the likelihood is that KL Rahul will open the innings with Vijay Shankar in the middle order amid reports of Rishabh Pant flying in as a potential replacement for Dhawan if he does not recover in time.
- The approach of the team is unlikely to change despite the adjustment as they will continue to have a fluid batting line-up depending on how the top three fare with Hardik Pandya and MS Dhoni able to move up if some big-hitting is required at any stage.
PAKISTAN
Coach: Mickey Arthur
Captain: Sarfaraz Ahmed
- Pakistan are coming off a 41-run defeat by Australia at Taunton on Wednesday in one of the few games this week that managed to avoid the bad weather and they will rue that loss after throwing away some good opportunities in that game.
- Mohammad Amir was the star of the show for Pakistan as his five-wicket haul managed to drag Pakistan back into the game as Australia fell for 189/1 in the 29th over to 307 all out although some of the other bowling was relatively poor.
- There is every chance that Shadab Khan will come back into the side for this match with Shaheen Shah Afridi dropping out, while the batting order is under some pressure with Fakhar Zaman, Shoaib Malik and Asif Ali all desperately needing an innings here.
THE PREDICTION
India have edged the head-to-head meetings in recent years between these two bitter rivals but Pakistan have made a habit of springing a surprise in key matches. They will be motivated as underdogs at Old Trafford to inflict India’s first loss at this World Cup but the odds are against them for good reason. India are better with the bat, ball and in the field, and unless Pakistan can hit top form or rely on the weather to assist them somehow, everything points to another victory for Virat Kohli’s men.
