Preview: Sri Lanka v Pakistan, 2nd ODI

Critical match for both sides

The Sri Lankans are set to take Pakistan on in the second ODI of the five-match series tomorrow at Pallikele. The hosts have not had a happy run till now. Pakistan thrashed them with a convincing win, with Mohammad Hafeez, the man of the match, taking four wickets as well as scoring a century. Sri Lankan batting did not shine. The top order collapsed, not even making fifty each.

Dilshan and Mathews were the only ones who could anchor the team for some time. Chandimal is a good player, but lacked consistency. It seems Sri Lanka has not yet learnt to operate without Sangakkara and Jayawardene. The bowling was better than the batting. Malinga may not be the fiery bowler he was before his injury, but he is still competent. Pace attack was decent thanks to Dhammika Prasad, Suranga Lakmal and Nuwan Pradeep.

Pakistan looked to be in good form. Azhar Ali proved the critics wrong by remaining calm in the face of crisis, reminding one of Misbah-ul-Haq as a skipper, but Ahmed Shehzad’s form is sounding warning bells.

Tomorrow’s match will be an exciting watch, with Sri Lanka looking to make a comeback and Pakistan trying to continue its winning streak. But Pakistan will have added pressure on them, as they cannot afford to lose even one match if they are to compete in the ICC Champions Trophy 2017.

However, Sri Lanka have a bit of luck associated with the Pallikele ground. Whenever Dilshan plays here, he ends up scoring magnificently. Five of his 16 ODI centuries have been on this ground. Pakistan's last match on this ground was in 2012, where they faced a heavy defeat. Who Lady Luck decides to favour will be known only tomorrow.

Pakistan, however, has conquered a new high. With the win in the first ODI, they have become the second team with the most ODI wins, pulling ahead of India, South Africa, New Zealand, England etc. With both teams playing at high stakes, it is sure to be a nail-biting game.

Squads:

Sri Lanka: Angelo Mathews (c), Dinesh Chandimal (wk), Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kusal Perera, Upul Tharanga, Lahiru Thirimanne, Milinda Siriwardana, Ashan Priyanjan, Nuwan Pradeep, Thisara Perera, Suranga Lakmal, Lasith Malinga, Sachithra Senanayake, Seekuge Prasanna, Sachith Pathiran.

Pakistan: Azhar Ali (c), Mukhtar Ahmed, Ahmed Shehzad, Mohammad Hafeez, Asad Shafiq, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Rizwan, Babar Azam, Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), Yasir Shah, Bilal Asif, Immad Wasim, Anwar Ali, Mohammad Irfan, Ehsan Adil, Rahat Ali.