Pakistan vs Sri Lanka – 2nd One-Day International Preview & Prediction
THE FACTS
When is Pakistan vs Sri Lanka taking place? Monday, September 30th (11:00am UK time)
Where is Pakistan vs Sri Lanka taking place? National Stadium, Karachi
What is the expected weather for Pakistan vs Sri Lanka? 33c with sunshine and cloudy intervals
What channel is Pakistan vs Sri Lanka on? This match will televised live on Prime TV in the UK (Sky channel 762)
Where can I stream Pakistan vs Sri Lanka? This match will not be streamed live in the UK
Where can I get tickets for Pakistan vs Sri Lanka? Ticket details for this match can be found here!
LAST MEETING
No result
THE TEAM NEWS
PAKISTAN
- After the first one-day international was washed out on Friday due to heavy rain and flooding in Karachi, this match has been postponed until Monday in the hope the pitch can recover and surrounding areas will dry sufficiently to allow the match to be played.
- Pakistan will name their strongest available line-up for this match as they aim to get some momentum so there is little chance they will experiment in this match as they look to get off to a winning start.
- The batting is expected to be strong with all their key men like Imam-ul-Haq, Fakhar Zaman and Babar Azam the top three, and they will hope for an improvement at the top of the order as the two openers struggled in the recent World Cup.
SRI LANKA
- Sri Lanka may have welcomed the postponement as they come into this series in Pakistan with a vastly under strength squad after ten of their players refused to travel to Karachi and Lahore due to safety concerns and that will allow their newcomers more time to settle in.
- With key experienced players such as Dimuth Karunaratne, Lasith Malinga and Angelo Mathews having pulled out of the squad, the selectors will choose from a young set of players for this game to face a full-strength Pakistan outfit.
- That will add a degree of pressure on Avishka Fernando and Lahiru Kumara who have shown in recent times they are more than capable of playing at the highest level, and even if they lose the series, they will just be desperate to compete with their more experienced opponents.
THE PREDICTION
The washout of the first ODI may have eased any nervousness among this young Sri Lankan side although they will be keen to test themselves against such a strong Pakistani team. The hosts were disappointed with their World Cup performances and while the focus is on the T20 World Cup next year, they will look to put in a strong showing here and build some momentum. Head coach Misbah-ul-Haq is demanding a big effort from his team in their first action since he took over, and expect a dominant win here assuming the weather does not impact this game.
