Pakistan are suffering a slump in form having won just two of their last five one-day internationals.

Inzamam-ul-Haq's side lost the recent series 3-1 in South Africa and will have to look back to the 3-1 home victory over West Indies at the end of 2006 for inspiration.

And the 1992 world champions could be further hampered if pace bowler Shoaib Akhtar fails to recover from a knee injury which is threatening to rule him out of the start of the World Cup.