PAK vs SL Match Prediction
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.
SQUAD PREVIEW
Pakistan 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 that 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.
The important hitters for Pakistan will be Babar Azam, Imam-ul Haq, and Mohammad Rizwan, while Shadab Khan will be essential in the lower order.
Pakistan’s Predicted XI:
Agha Salman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Wasim Jr., Zaman Khan, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk)
Sri Lanka Preview
Afghanistan was the only team to oppose Sri Lanka during the Group Stage. Sri Lanka entered the Super Fours with an even better performance and a bigger victory following a narrow victory in that match.
In their opening Super Fours game, Sri Lanka scored less points when they batted first against Bangladesh than they did against Afghanistan. But this time, 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.
Sri Lanka Predicted XI:
Dunith Wellalage, Maheesh Theekshana, Kasun Rajitha, Pathum Nissanka, Dimuth Karunaratne, Kusal Mendis (wk), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dasun Shanaka (c)
THE PITCH AND THE WEATHER
Weather Conditions
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, 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.
Venue Details
The Super Fours match of the 2023 Asia Cup between Pakistan and Sri Lanka will take place in Colombo’s R. Premadasa Stadium. Given the recent performances at this location and the average first innings score at this location of just 233 runs, we believe even that number would be a competitive total in this game.
Toss: To Bat
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 field, 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.
Winning Prediction
Sri Lanka will Win this Match
Both teams must win this game. 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 to troubling Sri Lanka, 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 promising batting order.
