The human body starts returning to normal soon after the fight-or-flight phase ends. Though not a single body, neither literally nor figuratively, the Pakistan team find themselves in that recovery mode after Sunday’s drubbing by India. And in the process of returning to normalcy, they face a familiar frenemy in Sri Lanka.
That is not to say the results of this game are inconsequential. For Sri Lanka, a loss here means the end of their journey in the Asia Cup, realistically at least. For Pakistan, however, things aren’t as bleak even after their shoddy display against India on Sunday.
The two teams have eyes on the same last piece of cake. Hesitate, and it’s gone. But this isn’t a tug-of-war type of contest. Civility is expected, handshakes likely, heated exchanges unlikely. What isn’t predictable is who leaves the ground smiling. And that is because Sri Lanka and Pakistan are eerily neck-and-neck when it comes to plenty of things, and that’s not even counting things outside cricket.
Team Overview:
Pakistan hit a stall against India, with their middle order stacked with the same kind of players. Hussain Talat, Mohammad Nawaz, and Salman Ali Agha efficiently undid the top order’s efforts in overs 11 to 16. What’s worse is that they had fiery batters, including Mohammad Haris and Shaheen Shah Afridi, who didn’t get to swing their bat at all, and were instead forced to watch their teammates scampering to a total lower than they were once set to get. With the way Shaheen has been batting, it’s about time Pakistan bet more on his hard-hitting skills by recognising him as more than just a bowler. Doing so could help find space for fielding a specialist batter instead of an all-rounder who acts up in both departments.
Sri Lanka, so far this tournament, have relied on a group batting effort to get over the line. This joint effort, though, has lacked fluency as well as firepower. That is why they failed to dominate Bangladesh on Saturday. Interestingly, the first time Sri Lanka had to set a total in this Asia Cup, they failed to win the game, with all their wins coming batting second. That says a lot about the sort of brand of cricket that, unconsciously or consciously, has become theirs. It’s easier to go slow when chasing than when setting a target, and Sri Lanka realised that at the cost of two points that went Bangladesh’s way.
Head-to-Head Matches:
In the 23 T20I games that Sri Lanka and Pakistan have played against each other, Pakistan have won 13 times.
Weather and Pitch Report:
Batters would heave a sigh of relief playing in Abu Dhabi, with the surface giving them assistance better than Dubai. It’s going to be a high-scoring affair, with at least one team going over 170 in all but three games here so far.
Prediction:
With both sides standing at nearly the same spot, having the same skill set, and being a similar level of mercurial, it’s hard to predict who might end up better than the other.
Where to Watch:
Pakistan: PTV Sports, Tapmad, Myco
India: Sony Sports Network, Sony Liv app
UAE and MENA: CricLife Max via eLife TV and Switch TV, StarzPlay
Australia: Kayo Sports
Bangladesh: Gazi TV, Toffee, Tapmad
