Sri Lanka and Pakistan clashed in a crucial Asia Cup 2023 match at the R. Premadasa Stadium, with Sri Lanka making a strong start in their run chase, despite the early loss of Kusal Perera to a run-out. At the end of the 10th over, Sri Lanka was positioned at 62/1, with Pathum Nissanka contributing 23 runs and Kusal Mendis adding 18.
Pakistan had earlier set a competitive target of 252 runs, thanks to the aggressive batting of Mohammad Rizwan and Iftikhar Ahmed. However, this match faced multiple delays due to intermittent showers, ultimately being reduced to a 42-over contest after a rain break.
Pakistan encountered a setback when their captain, Babar Azam, was dismissed for 29 runs in the 16th over. Despite some hiccups in the middle of their innings, Iftikhar Ahmed and Mohammad Rizwan steadied the ship and pushed Pakistan's score close to the 250 mark before Iftikhar's departure.
The toss for the match was delayed due to rain, and both teams were coming off disappointing losses to India in earlier fixtures. Pakistan had the additional challenge of missing key bowlers, with Naseem Shah ruled out of the tournament and uncertainty surrounding Haris Rauf's availability.
Today's match essentially served as a virtual semi-final, where a strong performance by either team would secure them a coveted spot in the final. In case of a washout, Sri Lanka would advance to the final due to their superior run rate.
Here are the lineups for both teams:
Pakistan:
- Mohammad Haris
- Fakhar Zaman
- Babar Azam (captain)
- Mohammad Rizwan (wicket-keeper)
- Abdullah Shafique
- Iftikhar Ahmed
- Shadab Khan (vice-captain)
- Mohammad Nawaz
- Shaheen Shah Afridi
- Mohammad Wasim
- Zaman Khan
Sri Lanka:
- Kusal Perera
- Pathum Nissanka
- Kusal Mendis (wicket-keeper)
- Sadeera Samarawickrama
- Charith Asalanka
- Dhananjaya de Silva
- Dasun Shanaka (captain)
- Dunith Wellalage
- Maheesh Theekshana
- Pramod Madushan
- Matheesha Pathirana
No comments:
Post a Comment