Summary Pakistan captain Misbah won the toss and elected to bat first.
SYDNEY (AFP) - Australia and Pakistan clash in the World Cup quarter-finals in Adelaide on Friday while West Indies were sweating on the fitness of key opener Chris Gayle ahead of their showdown with New Zealand.
Apart from a nailbiting one-wicket loss to fellow tournament co-hosts New Zealand and a washed-out match with Bangladesh, four-times champions Australia have made serene progress in their quest to win a first World Cup title on home soil.
Pakistan, by contrast, suffered thumping defeats by defending champions India and the West Indies in their first two pool matches.
However, Misbah-ul-Haq s men have since won four successive matches -- including a victory over a South Africa side who on Wednesday stormed into the semi-finals with a nine-wicket thrashing of Sri Lanka -- to reinforce their reputation as a team who can be a match for anyone.
Pakistan captain Misbah, bidding to lead his side to their second World Cup title after they triumphed in Australia and New Zealand back in 1992, won the toss and elected to bat first.
"I m not sure about reverse swing but I think we will get a bit of conventional swing," said Misbah.
Meanwhile home skipper Michael Clarke, aiming to guide four-time champions Australia to their first World Cup title on home soil, said: "I m not that bothered (to lose the toss).
"They ve left a bit of grass on the pitch so hopefully we ll see some pace and carry and hopefully some swing with the new ball."
Australia made one change, with Josh Hazlewood replacing fellow fast bowler Pat Cummins in a pace attack spearheaded by in-form left-armer Mitchell Starc.
The Australia team wore black armbands in memory of former Australia prime minister Malcolm Fraser, who died aged 84 earlier on Friday while the Australian flag at the Adelaide Oval flew at half-mast.
Pakistan suffered a setback on Tuesday when giant fast bowler Mohammad Irfan was ruled out of the rest of the tournament with a stress fracture of the hip.
If they can defeat Australia, Pakistan will face India -- a side they ve never beaten at the World Cup -- in a semi-final in Sydney on March 26 after their arch-rivals downed Bangladesh by a whopping 109 runs in Melbourne on Thursday.
GAYLE CONCERNS
New Zealand and the West Indies, who meet in Wellington on Saturday, know the winners of their quarter-final will play South Africa in Auckland on March 24.
But Grant Elliott, New Zealand s South Africa-born all-rounder, said the Black Caps were focused on the task at hand.
"We ll concentrate on this game and if we do get to the semi-final, then we ll have a look at their team."
New Zealand, who won all six of their pool matches, will be firm favourites to triumph this weekend against a West Indies side who lost three of their group games.
West Indies chances of causing an upset won t be helped if star batsman Gayle -- who earlier in this tournament scored a World Cup record 215 against Zimbabwe -- is ruled out through injury.
The big-hitting left-handed opener trained for the first time this week on Friday, two days after receiving an injection in his lower back.
West Indies captain Jason Holder said Gayle would face a late fitness test.
"He s had an injection and a scan. The scan didn t show anything major, so we ll just see how he pulls up and make a decision tomorrow morning," the skipper explained.
However, Holder stressed the West Indies -- winners of the first two World Cups back in 1975 and 1979 -- could still succeed even without the 35-year-old Jamaican, pointing to the composed 55 made by Johnson Charles when he stepped in for last weekend s win over the UAE that saw the side into the last eight on net run-rate.
"Johnson came in the last game and got a half-century and looked the part. So we ve got people to fill his boots but obviously having Chris there is a plus for us."
