Key man
Misbah-ul-Haq
Misbah the captain is by default a crucial component, but it is Misbah the batsman who might be even more so. He has long been derided by his critics as being too slow, but Misbah has recently defended it by saying the approach was what the team needed. He will now, he says, bat with the freedom and verve he is capable of and there has been evidence of that in South Africa and domestically.
Why they will win it
The law of averages? Having been to six successive ICC tournament semi-finals (and triumphed in only one) surely they are bound to grab another this time? Their bowling is handy enough and this tournament could be the perfect platform for Junaid Khan to cement himself as Pakistan's coming fast-bowling hero. His pace and swing, with Mohammad Irfan's height and speed, makes the pair among the toughest opening bowlers.
Why they won't win it
Take your pick: inexperienced and ill-equipped batting, poor ground fielding and diabolical catching, generally poor discipline, it could be anything, really. When Pakistan win, it is generally in spite of themselves. Conditions, particularly if it is cold, will not be ideal for them though Pakistan's last world title came in England and they have a solid, recent ODI record there.
Squad (ODIs)
Imran Farhat 56
Nasir Jamshed 28
Mohammedd Hafeez 118
Asad Shafiq 39
Misbah-ul-Haq (capt) 117
Umar Amin 4
Shoaib Malik 213
Kamran Akmal 151
Asad Ali 1
Abdur Rehman 26
Saeed Ajmal 81
Junaid Khan 24
Ehsan Adil 2
Mohammad Irfan 11
Wahab Riaz 29
The finalists
Player of the Century, 2001-2020: Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus), Lionel Messi (Barcelona), Mohamed Salah (Liverpool), Ronaldinho
Coach of the Century, 2001-2020: Pep Guardiola (Manchester City), Jose Mourinho (Tottenham Hotspur), Zinedine Zidane (Real Madrid), Sir Alex Ferguson
Club of the Century, 2001-2020: Al Ahly (Egypt), Bayern Munich (Germany), Barcelona (Spain), Real Madrid (Spain)
Player of the Year: Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
Club of the Year: Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Real Madrid
Coach of the Year: Gian Piero Gasperini (Atalanta), Hans-Dieter Flick (Bayern Munich), Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool)
Agent of the Century, 2001-2020: Giovanni Branchini, Jorge Mendes, Mino Raiola
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'Tell the Machine Goodnight' by Katie Williams
Penguin Randomhouse
Brief scores:
Toss: Sindhis, elected to field first
Kerala Knights 103-7 (10 ov)
Parnell 59 not out; Tambe 5-15
Sindhis 104-1 (7.4 ov)
Watson 50 not out, Devcich 49
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