After being thrashed by West Indies in the opening game by seven wickets, unpredictable Pakistan held their nerves to beat the Englishmen by 14 runs at the Trent Bridge. This win ended Pakistan’s 11 matches losing streak. On the other hand, the 1996 champions, Sri Lanka bagged a victory against Afghanistan in the rain interrupted game following a big defeat against New Zealand to get some confidence for further matches.
Pitch Conditions
Venue: County Ground, Bristol
This ground was initially known as Ashley Down Ground. Reports are coming from England that the track will have a good advantage for batsmen and a high scoring match can be expected.
Toss
Out of 17 matches played here, the team batting second have won 10 times. So, captain winning the toss might opt to field.
Total Matches played: 16
Matches won batting first: 7
Matches won batting second: 9
Tie: 0
Average scores in both innings
Average 1st innings score: 244
Average 2nd innings score: 237
Weather Conditions
Reports suggest that rain interruptions can be there with a cloud covering of 94 percent. It will be a cold day as the temperature will be around 14 degrees Celsius. The humidity will be on the higher side near about 86 percent.
Team Analysis: Pakistan
After ending their losing streak in the last match against England, Pakistan may not do any changes to their winning combination. Mohammad Hafeez played an excellent inning while openers Fakhar Zaman and Imam-ul-Haq looked good for their short stay at the crease and will be looking to play big innings this time
Full Squad: Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Hafeez, Sarfaraz Ahmed (c & wk), Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Amir, Haris Sohail, Babar Azam, Imam-ul-Haq, Asif Ali, Imad Wasim, Fakhar Zaman, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain
Team Analysis: Sri Lanka
After a win in the previous encounter, the Lankan lions might not do any changes to their playing XI. Kusal Perera and Nuwan Pradeep will like to repeat their performances. The team will be expecting from their experience players like Angelo Mathews, Thisara Perera to deliver.
Full squad: Dimuth Karunaratne (c), Avishka Fernando, Suranga Lakmal, Lasith Malinga, Angelo Mathews, Jeevan Mendis, Kusal Mendis (wk), Kusal Perera (wk), Thisara Perera, Nuwan Pradeep, Dhananjaya de Silva, Milinda Siriwardana, Lahiru Thirimanne, Isuru Udana, Jeffrey Vandersay.
Both team’s probable playing XI
Pakistan |
Sri Lanka |
Sarfaraz Ahmed (c&wk) |
Dimuth Karunaratne (c) |
Imam-ul-Haq |
Kusal Perera (wk) |
Fakhar Zaman |
Lahiru Thirimanne |
Babar Azam |
Kusal Mendis |
Mohammad Hafeez |
Angelo Mathews |
Shoib Malik |
Dhananjaya de Silva |
Asif Ali |
Thisara Perera |
Wahab Riaz |
Isuru Udana |
Hasan Ali |
Suranga Lakmal |
Shadab Khan |
Lasith Malinga |
Mohammad Amir |
Nuwan Pradeep |
Key Players
Pakistan: Babar Azam, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Amir
Sri Lanka: Lasith Malinga, Kusal Perera, Dimuth Karunaratne
Standings in ICC ODI points table
Pakistan – 6th spot with 94 points
Sri Lanka – 9th spot with 76 points
Head to Head in World Cup
Total matches played-7
Pakistan win-7
Sri Lanka win-0
Sri Lanka has never defeated Pakistan in the World Cup. Let’s see what happens this time, whether Pakistan will continue their winning streak against Sri Lanka in World Cup, or Dimuth Karunaratne led Sri Lanka will showcase some magical performances to beat Pakistan for the first time in World Cup.
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