The two most frustrating teams in world cricket meet in the first quarter final, with a winner impossible to predict with any confidence. Either team could turn up and give a performance that would send the bookmakers scurrying to alas their odds fir winning the tournament. Yet both could fold in a performance leading to a welter of recriminations. Hopefully we will get a classic one day game studded with heroic performances on both sides, although few would count on it.
Most eyes will be on Chris Gayle and Shahid Afridi. On the one side, a former captain and opening bat who could torch any attack in the world with a century that would put proceedings beyond doubt. On the other, a current captain who probably shouldn't be, an all-rounder who could rescue just about any match with his vat, but is more likely to won it with the ball.
It's easy to see one of these players being man of the match, but if not, then I have to favour Pakistan...they have more answers. Umar Gul continues to be one of the more effective quicks in the tournament, and their batting is more likely to hang tough. Afridi's bowling may well compensate for his erratic captaincy and batting, but if it comes to the crunch, an overly-ambitious shot like the one against Australia may well be the epitaph to his team's campaign, rather than another stint of wicket-taking spin.
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