Poor preparation could come back to bite Pakistan
Published:Pakistan failed to make it past the group stages of the last cricket World Cup in 2007 and a lack of preparation ahead of the current tournament makes them overpriced at 8/1 to fall at the first hurdle again.
A surprise defeat to Ireland in the group stages four years ago in the West Indies was largely responsible for the 1992 World Cup winners suffering an early exit.
However, a change of format and the fact that the upcoming tournament is taking place in India are largely expected to be plus points for Pakistan and they are 8/1 in the World Cup betting to secure victory.
Rather than the format of four years ago when the 16 teams were split into four groups, there are now just two pools of seven nations, with the top four teams from each progressing into the quarter finals.
On paper Pakistan should have little trouble easing through Group A, as despite Australia, Sri Lanka and New Zealand all being present, routine victories over Canada, Zimbabwe and Kenya are expected.
But Pakistan proved at the last World Cup that they have the capability of losing to the weaker nations and their poor preparation ahead of travelling to India may be an added disadvantage.
Despite the tournament beginning in just over two weeks, Pakistan’s Cricket Board have not named a captain from their 15-man squad, which causes a problem as a skipper needs to understand the strengths and weaknesses of his squad and begin planning strategies.
Meanwhile, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir are both serving suspensions.
Alongside providing an edge at the start of the innings, the two opening bowlers often set the tempo for the rest of the game.
A £25 stake on New Zealand topping Group A would return £150. New customers can sign up here for a free £25 bet.
