Pakistan vs Sri Lanka: Asia Cup 2023 Must Win Game

Cricket

Pakistan vs Sri Lanka: In the final Super Four game, Pakistan will face Sri Lanka. Pakistan’s last match at this Colombo venue ended in a crushing loss to India, their archrivals.

In contrast to their earlier match during the group stage of the Asia Cup 2023, the bowlers were unable to apply pressure to the Indian batters. The pitch was excellent for batting, but Babar Azam should be held accountable for not carrying out the proper bowling strategies.

The spinners for Sri Lanka are in excellent form, making them a promising team. They defeated three opponents in a row before facing team India. The Indian batting order was utterly destroyed by Dunith Wellalage and Charith Asalanka.

They were unable to overtake a low score, and they will now play Pakistan at the same location in a game they cannot afford to lose.

The match will be played without Pakistan’s primary pacers. They will be under pressure against a strong Sri Lankan team because their batting is equally inconsistent.

The Pakistan vs Sri Lanka ODI Asia Cup match will take place on September 14, 2023, at R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Match Details to Note:

Match: Pakistan vs Sri Lanka ODI Asia Cup match

Date: September 14th, 2023 (Saturday)

Time: 03:00 PM IST

Venue: R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Pakistan vs Sri Lanka

Pakistan (Match Odds- 1.50)

Preview

After suffering a humiliating loss to India, Babar Azam and company will start over. The captain needs to review his bowlers’ tactics and strategies.

He occasionally adopted a defensive posture when changing his bowling, which let Indian batsmen recover. When India was 4 down in the Group Stage match, he brought in spinners for two overs, making this clear.

The spinners were unable to get any wickets, and India just recovered with a potent partnership. And now that pacers Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah are unlikely to play in this game that must be won, Babar Azam is in a tight place.

As a result of the two pacers’ injuries during the match against India, Pakistan may use Shanawaz Dahani as a backup bowler. Although he has yet to appear in a game, Mohammad Wasim Jr. can provide Pakistan with another option for pace bowling.

The two players who took the most wickets against Bangladesh in their first Super Fours match were Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf. In the most recent game between Sri Lanka and India, where the spinners prevailed, the pitch appeared difficult.

Three pacers and two spinners might make up Pakistan’s bowling lineup. The matchup between Pakistan and Sri Lanka won’t be simple. The middle order’s batting hasn’t been all that promising, and it has to develop a routine.

Full Squad:

Babar Azam (c), Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Salman Ali Agha, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Haris, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Faheem Ashraf, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Saud Shakeel, Tayyab Tahir (traveling reserve).

Players to watch out for Pakistan vs Sri Lanka:

Babar Azam

The ODI No. 1 batsmen failed against their arch-rivals India. Now, Babar has the duty to show his capabilities where his team needs the most. Babar is expected to punish the tired Sri Lankan bowlers who have to bowl in back-to-back matches.

Shadab Khan

Shadab uses his intelligence and cunning to deceive the batsmen in the air and bowls with a more loopy trajectory than the current limited-overs spinner. In order to force the batsman to adjust to his line, he effectively utilizes the crease by bowling from near the stumps as well as from a broader angle. With prominent bowlers missing in the match, it will be Shadab’s chance to shine.

Possible Playing XI:

Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Agha Salman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Wasim Jr., Zaman Khan

Sri Lanka (Match Odds- 2.60)

Preview

Afghanistan was the only team that was able to put pressure on Sri Lanka during the Group Stage. Sri Lanka entered the Super Fours with a better performance and a bigger victory than any other team following a narrow victory in that match.

In their opening Super Fours game, Sri Lanka scored less score when they batted first against Bangladesh than they did against Afghanistan. But this time also, the bowlers got it exactly perfect.

They continued to take regular wickets, bowled out the opponents for 236 runs, and achieved a comfortable victory by 21 runs for themselves.

The Indian hitters, who were in excellent form and riding high after their victory over Pakistan, were worried as they continued their bowling form.

While attempting to score 214 runs against India, they struggled at the plate. 63 runs were made by Dhananjaya de Silva and Dinuth Wellalage for the seventh wicket, restarting Sri Lanka’s run chase. The Sri Lankans’ tail did not, however, continue to wag after this partnership ended, and they suffered a 41-run defeat.

Even though Wellalage and Asalanka combined for 9 wickets against India, other bowlers like Maheesh Theekshana and Matheesha Pathirana will be just as important.

In the middle of the order, Kusal Mendis and Samarawickrama are the batters to watch out for. At number 5, Charith Asalanka is also useful, while Dhananjaya de Silva, an accomplished player, can deliver a key blow later in the order.

Full Squad:

Dasun Shanaka (c), Pathum Nissanaka, Dimuth Karunaratne, Kusal Janith Perera, Kusal Mendis (vc), Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Maheesh Theekshana, Dunith Wellalage, Matheesha Pathirana, Kasun Rajitha, Dushan Hemantha, Binura Fernando, Pramod Madushan

Players to watch out for Pakistan vs Sri Lanka:

Pathum Nissanaka

Pathum is a talented batsman and Sri Lanka has put their trust in him. Though has not scored a half-century or century yet in the tournament, he has contributed important runs in almost every match. He opens for the team and scores important runs while facing the new ball.

Dunith Wellalage

R. Premadasa Stadium stadium is famous for favoring spinners and we saw that in the match India vs Sri Lanka. Dunith took 5 wickets against the mighty Indian batting order, which includes the top 4 who scored big runs against Pakistan. He is expected to shine in the must-win match against Pakistan.

Possible Playing XI:

Pathum Nissanka, Dimuth Karunaratne, Kusal Mendis (wk), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dasun Shanaka (c), Dunith Wellalage, Maheesh Theekshana, Kasun Rajitha, Matheesha Pathirana

Pakistan vs Sri Lanka Head-to-Head:

Played- 155 | Pakistan- 92 | Sri Lanka- 58 | No Result- 4 | Tied- 1

Pakistan vs Sri Lanka Toss Prediction:

The bowling attacks of both teams are potent, thus the captains should support their bowlers to defend a total on this surface. Teams batting first have typically had the advantage and won more games. On this pitch, large scores are difficult to come by, as was shown in the most recent games. Either team will find chasing extremely difficult, therefore batting first will obviously be the favored strategy in Pakistan vs Sri Lanka.

Pakistan vs Sri Lanka Pitch Report:

At this Colombo location, the pitch offers spinners a lot of assistance on a slow-moving surface. In both of the matches played here thus far, spinners have prevailed. On the day of the game Pakistan vs Sri Lanka, thundershowers are expected. Both teams will modify their approaches and strategies in light of the likelihood that rain will also have an impact on this game.

Pakistan vs Sri Lanka Match Prediction:

Both teams must win this game to qualify. The side that wins this game will qualify for the final, therefore the NRR is under no pressure. After their pacers were hurt in the last game, Pakistan had been dealt severe blows. Still capable of troubling Sri Lanka, but they still have a strong bowling assault. Given the inconsistent hitting and strong bowling in both teams, the game appears to be tight. However, Pakistan will have the advantage in this game and start as favorites in our match prediction since they have a little more experience and a more potential batting lineup.

We predict Pakistan to win the game Pakistan vs Sri Lanka at the odds of 1.50