“A Clash of Titans: Pakistan vs Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup Super Four Showdown”

Will Fakhar redeem himself?

Fakhar Zaman has been given an extra life. With Imam unavailable today due to a back spasm, Fakhar has one chance to regain the team management’s confidence, having lost it less than 24 hours ago. Abdullah Shafique will open alongside him, with Haris carded at No. 5. Cloudy but clear skies for now. Anil Kumble, Farveez Maharoof, Urooj Mumtaz on Match Day LIVE.

Pakistan do a U-turn

Pakistan announced five changes yesterday. But they’ve had to tear that sheet apart, because they’ve had to make two changes to that changed XI. Forced change according to Babar Azam, who won the toss and chose to bat. Imam Ul Haq has picked up a back spasm today, and Fakhar Zaman – dropped yesterday – is his replacement. Saud Shakeel – who was supposed to replace Agha Salman in the team – has picked up an illness, and therefore Abdullah Shafique will come into the middle order. Sri Lanka with two changes. Pramod Madushan replaces Kasun Rajitha while Kusal Perera is back (!) , in place of Dimuth Karunaratne. Kusal Perera last played an ODI in 2021 and is the kind of batter who could be a gamechanger in rain-hit, short games.

First ball at 5.15pm local.

Toss at 5.00 pm, start at 5.15 pm. 45 overs per side. Powerplays: 9 overs, 27 overs, 9 overs. Pitch report: Same pitch as Sri Lanka v Bangladesh game – where Sri Lanka’s score of 250 was enough. Dominic Cork says, “I’d like to bowl first, try and restrict, chase under lights.”

Update: Match conditions

For a 20-overs-a-side game , play must start by 9.02pm local. So there’s plenty of time for a game to happen today. We start losing overs from 4.30pm local. As of now (4.40pm local), the drizzle has eased up and some covers are being removed.

SL, ODI cricket, and ICC rankings

I find it very interesting that Sri Lanka, considered by most experts as favourites today, and who only recently were snapped of a 13-match winning streak, are ranked No. 8 in the ICC ODI Rankings. Even today, the perception is that SL are favourites against Pakistan. It’s not just Pakistan‘s “so called fragile” XI that makes them favourites, because SL themselves are hit by a long injury list. So that made me wonder, how strong do you think are SL’s chances at the ODI World Cup, because if we just went by the rankings , they’re set for a very poor finish. How will SL fare at the World Cup?

Tackling rain – the Sri Lankan way

With rain settling in and the toss not expected very soon, it’s a good time to check out why Sri Lanka’s groundstaff are considered the best in world cricket. S Sudarshanan with this excellent video report: Why don’t they use Super Soppers in Sri Lanka?

Kumble, Maharoof, Mumtaz in conversation

The 2.50pm toss has been delayed further with rain returning again. Till then, catch Anil Kumble, Urooj Mumtaz and Farveez Maharoof LIVE on Match Day.

We have our first delay

We have the first mood-killer of the afternoon. Toss delayed to 2.50pm local. With rain predicted later as well, today’s game could be a shortened fixture. For now, we have a full game with first ball at 3.15pm local If we have a shortened game – should Pakistan change their announced XI?

This is not the same Pakistan

The Pakistan XI that turned up for the opening game of the Asia Cup is vastly different from their XI today. Concerns over injury and form have forced Pakistan to make FIVE changes. Out-of-form Fakhar Zaman has been replaced by Mohammad Haris . Agha Salman’s cut to his face has kept him out, with Saud Shakeel replacing him. Mohammad Wasim and Zaman Khan will replace Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf, and Mohammad Nawaz is back in place of Faheem Ashraf. Pakistan suddenly find themselves in a fast-bowling crisis with Zaman (and Shahnawaz Dahani) being flown in from Pakistan. Sri Lanka, who look far more settled, have a real opportunity here to make use of Pakistan‘s frailties in a few departments. They should play an unchanged team.

Welcome: all or nothing

On the back of defeats at the hands of India, Pakistan vs Sri Lanka has turned out to be a knockout fixture. The winner meets India in the final, the loser says goodbye to the Asia Cup. What a cracker we have in store with a chance to see which players stand up on the big occasion and which players fizzle out when the stakes are high. Worth a reminder, though, that if the game is washed out (always a possibility), Sri Lanka will qualify into the final on virtue of a better NRR. Pakistan‘s NRR took a mighty hit in their 228-run defeat against India and there’s been a bit of drizzle in the air.