Friday 20 February 2015 11:14, UK
Australia are back in World Cup action - weather permitting - in the early hours of Saturday, while two of the tournament's most watchable sides meet in Pool B.
With Michael Clarke fit to resume the captaincy focus in Australia has switched from the skipper's hamstring to the fallout from Cyclone Marcia, a tropical storm threatening to wash out the co-hosts' Brisbane meeting with Bangladesh.
More of that game later, but first up on Sky Sports' dedicated World Cup channel later is the Pool B game between two of cricket's more maverick international sides.
If England have problems, where does that leave West Indies? Winners of the first two World Cups, their stock has fallen so low this week's defeat to Ireland barely warranted 'upset' status.
The opposition in Christchurch are a similarly deflated Pakistan, who were never in an opening match against India which was expected to draw the biggest television audience in World Cup history.
That Ireland defeat means victory is a more pressing concern for West Indies, although Pakistan will not want to fall back on their games against the associate nations given their own World Cup back catalogue features a humbling at the hands of the Irish.
Misbah-ul-Haq - as so often - was their best performer against India, and the 40-year-old captain has asked for more from his fellow batsmen as he ponders whether to persist with the hugely experienced Younus Khan in a makeshift opener's role.
"It doesn't mean that all the time it should be me," said Misbah, who added there was no reason to panic after one defeat. "It should be two other guys out of six or seven batsmen that are playing.
"We'll be looking forward at the guys who are not at the moment performing. We know that they are good enough players, and they can just come to the party in the next games."
Misbah can speak from a sure footing given his personal performances, a luxury his opposite number does not have. West Indies' novice captain Jason Holder has taken just eight wickets - and at some cost - in his six matches in charge.
Holder insists the Ireland defeat has not destroyed morale - "we go into the game with full confidence" - and both Darren Sammy and Sulieman Benn are expected to overcome niggles to play.
Old hand Sammy threw his weight behind Holder this week, but months of unrest following the aborted tour of India and Dwayne Bravo's subsequent removal as captain continue to cast a shadow. Sammy sounded less than convincing when he said: "Hopefully the rest of the team could follow."
Pakistan's preparations have hardly been plain sailing, either, and after a build-up marred by mass curfew-breaking the country's cricket board was this week forced to deny reports of a row between some senior players and fielding coach Grant Luden.
West Indies and Pakistan - unpredictable as always, on and off the field. Expect the unexpected in the early hours of Saturday.
Australia v Bangladesh has never carried much uncertainty as a fixture - Bangladesh have won just one of 19 one-day internationals between the sides - but there is a real danger the weather could deny the co-hosts a victory widely viewed as a formality before the tournament.
The forecast is not promising, and a 20-over game is the minimum requirement for a positive result, so the Aussies could find their hopes of finishing top of Pool A hampered by a cyclone in the 'Sunshine State' of Queensland.
That outcome would not be for a lack of planning: Clarke and his selectors have picked a team for a 50-over game but have in mind alternative line-ups should the number of overs be reduced.
A real concern for the residents of Queensland notwithstanding, the weather has at least given Clarke and his team-mates something to talk about other than his recent hamstring surgery.
The captain continues to exude calm on that subject, and on the eve of the game he said: "I've had a number of tests and I've passed all those the whole way through my recovery. If I can prove to the medical staff that I am ready to go, I know I've also proved it to myself."
Clarke's return is likely to be at the expense of stand-in captain George Bailey.
Watch Paksitan v West Indies on Sky Sports' World Cup channel from 9pm. Australia v Bangladesh will be on the red button from 3.20am.
