Asian cricketing giants Pakistan and Sri Lanka are set to go head-to-head on October 10 in the ICC Men's ODI World Cup 2023 at Hyderabad's Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium.
Pakistan entered the marquee event following a disappointing Asia Cup 2023 campaign, while they suffered defeats in both their warm-up matches against New Zealand and Australia.
But they bounced back in their opening match against the Netherlands, where Babar Azam and his team overcame a couple of batting collapses to set a challenging target of 287 and secured an 81-run victory.
On the other hand, Sri Lanka entered the tournament after a demoralising loss in the Asia Cup finals against a formidable Indian side.
Similar to Pakistan, Sri Lanka also faced setbacks in their two warm-up matches against Bangladesh and Afghanistan. The Sri Lankan team is missing key performers like Dushmantha Chameera and Wanindu Hasaranga.
In their first game against South Africa in Delhi, their bowling struggled as the Proteas posted a record-breaking 428/5 in their 50 overs, ultimately dismissing Dasun Shanaka's men for 326.
Pakistan aims to secure a win in this clash to gather momentum for their highly-anticipated showdown against India on Saturday, October 14.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka seeks to draw confidence from their recent last-ball victory against Pakistan in the Asia Cup and aims to get their campaign back on track.
Pitch Report:
The Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium has witnessed numerous high-scoring encounters, with pitches favouring the batsmen. In the two warm-up matches held at this venue, teams consistently scored over 300 runs in their innings. However, the pitch exhibited some turn in the second innings of the Netherlands-Pakistan encounter, with Shadab Khan extracting considerable spin.
While batters are expected to enjoy favourable conditions, the Sri Lankan team may need to adapt as the pitch might not be as batting-friendly as the one they played on in Delhi against South Africa during the ODI World Cup 2023.
Head-to-Head:
Pakistan and Sri Lanka have crossed paths in eight matches in ICC ODI World Cup tournaments. Pakistan has emerged victorious in seven of these encounters, while Sri Lanka has not secured a win in any of them. One match ended without a result.
Probable lineups:
Pakistan: Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam (C), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf
Sri Lanka: Kusal Perera, Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (wk), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dasun Shanaka (c), Dunith Wellalage, Matheesha Pathirana, Kasun Rajitha, Maheesh Theekshana
