Cricket World Cup 2011 team guidesPakistan cricket teamIn Shahid Afridi and Umar Gul they possess some of the best one-day players in the world – but which Pakistan will turn up?

Group A

23 Feb v Kenya, Hambantota (d/n)

26 Feb v Sri Lanka, Colombo (d/n)

3 Mar v Canada, Colombo (d/n)

8 Mar v Pakistan, Kandy (d/n)

14 Mar v Zimbabwe, Kandy (d/n)

19 Mar v Australia, Colombo (d/n)

World Cup history

Winners in 1992. Finalists in 1999. Semi-finalists in 1973, 1983 and 1987. Quarter-finalists in 1996. First round in 1975, 2003 and 2007

The captain

Shahid Afridi Is known for his aggressive batting style, and currently holds the highest career strike-rate in the history of international cricket. A highly regarded player, to say he is an all-rounder, is to say Einstein was a scientist, some say.

The coach

Waqar Younis Was appointed as coach in March 2010, having previously twice served as bowling coach. A household name in cricket, Younis has also worked as a sports commentator for Nine Network in Australia and Ten Sports in the UAE.

Best batsman

Shahid Afridi Given the dubious privilege of captaining the team, in the hope that he can reproduce the performances that inspired an unlikely and uplifting triumph in the Twenty20 World Championship in England in the summer of 2009. But can he extend explosive 20-over innings to match-winning efforts in the longer game?

Best bowler

Umar Gul Another key figure in Pakistan's 2009 T20 triumph, this Peshawar-born seamer is now the senior figure in an attack missing the Mohammads Asif and Amir for well-documented reasons. Can deliver yorkers on demand, at various paces, making him arguably the world's best death bowler.

Success depends on

How motivated and unified they are as a side. Despite losing their captain, two opening bowlers and wicketkeeper to suspension and self-imposed exile, they have a squad which is packed with match-winning talent. Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq add stability to the batting, and they have two outstanding all-rounders in Afridi and Abdul Razzaq. But with all that baggage between the players they are more likely to implode than explode.

Prediction

Quarter-finals Most likely they will avoid an ignominious early exit by thrashing one of the big teams in a manner that suggests they are going to go all the way to the final, then subside meekly in their next match.

The squad

Shahid Afridi (capt), Abdul Razzaq, Abdur Rehman, Ahmed Shehzad, Asad Shafiq, Junaid Khan, Kamran Akmal (wkt), Misbah-ul-Haq, Mohammad Hafeez, Saeed Ajmal, Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Akmal, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Younus Khan.

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