ICC WC 2023: Pakistan vs Sri Lanka: Preview & Prediction

The ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup is heating up with every team having played their opening match the experts and opponents alike now have an idea about where teams are placed and what the future holds in store for us going forward in the showpiece event. Since the start of this edition of the World Cup, we have seen almost everything from a low low-scoring thriller between India and Australia to a one-sided affair in the opening match between England and New Zealand. 

The fierce competition continues as Asian Giants Pakistan takes on Sri Lanka on October 8 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad, In this article we will look at all the aspects of the mouth-watering clash.

Pakistan

Pakistan got their World Cup campaign off to a good start after beating Netherlands in Hyderabad as they found themselves in a bit of trouble with 38-3 with the top three batters back in the hut including the captain Babar Azam who managed to score only 5 runs while taking up a lot of deliveries.

 It was the duo of Rizwan and Saud Shakeel that stitched a much-needed fourth-wicket partnership to take the team out of trouble and get them past 100.

But as has been the case with Pakistan they lost wickets at regular intervals after a big partnership and could only get to 286 courtesy of some useful contribution from the lower middle order.

The story wasn’t much different in the bowling department as the bowlers found it difficult to pick wickets in the middle overs which has been the problem for the Babar Azam-led side as they presented an opportunity to Netherlands to have a shot at scripting an upset. But that wasn’t to be as the Dutch played some irresponsible cricket to hand Pakistan an easy win in the end

Players to watch out for

Saud Shakeel

The left-hander played a mature innings on his World Cup debut and scored an attacking half-century when his team was in trouble stitching a crucial partnership with Rizwan in the process which ended up being a match-winning partnership. He will look to carry on the good work against Sri Lanka as well.

Shaheen Afridi

He is the leader of Pakistan’s pace bowling attack. Shaheen Afridi has made rapid strides since his debut in international cricket and has emerged as a good leader. He appears as someone who thinks a lot about his game and wants to give his best when he takes the field. He might not have got the kind of start that he would have liked in the opening match against the Netherlands but he has the ability to make a strong comeback as the tournament progresses

Shadab Khan

Pakistan’s vice-captain Shadab Khan has had a forgetful time in ODI cricket in the last one year. He has a decent record in T20 cricket and has contributed immensely to his team’s success in the last two editions of the T20 World Cup with both bat and ball but has failed to crack the code in ODI cricket thus far. He bowled decently in the match against the Netherlands but was visibly not at his best and will be looking to improve as the tournament goes on.

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is coming on the back of a match they would love to forget from a bowling perspective having conceded 428 runs on a flat wicket against South Africa in Delhi. 

The Dasun Shanaka led side did make a slight comeback with the bat as they scored more than 320 runs but that wasn’t enough as they lost the match by 102 runs

Players to watch out for

Kusal Mendis

Kusal Mendis was the reason why Sri Lanka had a glimmer of hope while chasing a target of 429 runs against South Africa. His innings gave South Africa a scare at the same time instilled much-needed confidence in his team as a result of which they gave a great fight only to lose the match because of losing too many wickets in the middle overs

Dunith Wellalage 

A name with which Indian fans will be familiar is that of Dunith Wellalage. The left-arm spinner has had a good run of form in the last year. The 20-year-old made his ODI debut against Australia last year. He had a forgetful World Cup debut giving away more than 80 runs in his spell. The left-arm spinner will hope for a batter outing against Pakistan.

Dasun Shanaka

Sri Lanka skipper Dasun Shanaka found his batting form in the loss against South Africa during the ODI World Cup 2023 match on October 7 in New Delhi. Chasing 429, Sri Lanka kept South Africa on their toes for a decent part of their innings and Shanaka played a crucial role in extending the Lankan innings with a fifty.

Squads

Pakistan: Imam-ul-Haq, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam(c), Mohammad Rizwan(w), Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Shaheen Afridi, Saud Shakeel, Agha Salman, Usama Mir, Abdullah Shafique

Sri Lanka: Dasun Shanaka (c), Kusal Mendis (vc), Kusal Perera, Pathum Nissanka, Dimuth Karunaratne, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dushan Hemantha, Maheesh Theekshana, Dunith Wellalage, Kasun Rajitha, Matheesha Pathirana, Lahiru Kumara, Dilshan Madushanka 

PAK vs SL Dream11 - Team 1

Wicketkeeper: Kusal Mendis, Mohammad Rizwan

Batter: Babar Azam, Imam-ul-Haq

All-rounder: Dhananjaya de Silva, Shadab Khan, Charith Asalanka, Dasun Shanaka

Bowler: Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Matheesha Pathirana

PAK vs SL Dream11 - Team 2

Wicketkeeper: Kusal Mendis, Mohammad Rizwan

Batter: Babar Azam, Kusal Perera, Imam-ul-Haq, Saud Shakeel

All-rounder: Shadab Khan, Dasun Shanaka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Charith Asalanka

Bowler: Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf

Captain: Dhananjaya de Silva, vice-captain - Shadab Khan

Possible playing 11

Pakistan Predicted Playing 11: Imam-ul-Haq, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam(c), Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan(w), Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz/Usama Mir, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Afridi 

Sri Lanka Predicted Playing 11: Kusal Perera, Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (wk), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dasun Shanaka (c), Dunith Wellalage, Matheesha Pathirana, Dilshan Madushanka, Kasun Rajitha 

Pitch Report

The Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium is a batter-friendly venue in limited-overs cricket, as the pitch in the second innings assists medium pacers and spinners. The ball slows down on the bat, and the surface starts to turn 

Weather Prediction

No chance of rain in Hyderabad on Tuesday, October 8. The temperature would hover around 33 degrees Celsius and the humidity level will be close to 50 percent.

Head to Head

Matches: 156 Pakistan won: 92 Sri Lanka won: 59 Tied: 1 NR: 4

Match Details

Venue: Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad 

Start Time: 2:00 PM IST, Tuesday - October 8 

Channels: Star Sports Network 

Live Streaming: Disney+Hotstar

Image Credit: India.Com