Windies, Pakistan aim for place in final

The West Indies wants to redeem a disappointing summer with a place in the final while Pakistan is equally keen to continue its resurgence.

The West Indies wants to redeem a disappointing summer with a place in the Champions Trophy final while Pakistan is equally as eager to continue its resurgence under new coach Bob Woolmer.

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The two sides meet in the semi-final of cricket's "mini-World Cup" on September 22 at the Rose Bowl in Southampton. The winner will meet either Australia or England in the final at the Oval on Saturday.

Brian Lara's team has had a poor season this year, losing 4-0 to England in August's Test series. Its consolation was reaching the NatWest triangular series final at the expense of England in July, but the team lost to New Zealand the final.

"We would like to end on a high," Lara said. "It has been a very long summer, and we suffered a lot during the Test series.

"We got to the final of the NatWest Series, and it will be really nice if we can get one stage further - although we know we are up against tough opposition."