Trivandrum: Sri Lanka and Pakistan face-off on a Slam-bang Saturday in the World Cup, and the match at the Premadasa stadium in Colombo, has no clear favourite heading into it. Both teams have strong line-ups suited for subcontinent conditions and there will be numerous match-winners on show during the day-nighter.
Both sides got off to a smashing start in the tournament, with Lanka comfortably seeing off Canada and Pakistan thrashing Kenya in their respective Group A openers. There were plenty of similarities between the performances of both teams in those matches that took place at Hambantota.
Batting first, the openers of both teams got off to a sluggish start and then it was down to the middle-order to pull them back. If it was Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene who starred for Lanka, then it was Umar Akmal and Misbah ul Haq who did the star turn for the Pakistanis.
Then both teams put in brilliant bowling performances under lights to ensure wins by large margins. These two sides, probably, have the most lethal bowling attacks in the tournament and it will be interesting to note how they fare against each other.
IPL Kochi stars Thisara Perera and Muttiah Muralitharan, Nuwan Kulasekara, and Ajantha Mendis did the job for co-hosts Lanka in their first match, but the return of Lasith Malinga will be the crucial element for Sangakkara’s men against Pakistan. Whether Lanka bowl first or second, Malinga with his ability to mix up deliveries at will and his slinging action, will be a handful for the entire Pak batting.
For the men in green, Shoaib Akthar, Umar Gul and Abdul Razzaq form a formidable trio of pacers, each one unique in what they bring to the team. The pace of Akthar and the movement and guile of Razzaq, make them a potent new ball combination, while Gul will get the ball to swing early on and to reverse towards the death.
Skipper Shahid Afridi picked up a fifor in the match against Kenya and his fast variety of spinners will be a huge threat for a Lankan middle -order that has a slightly fragile look to it if the openers and then Sangakkara and Jayawardene, stumble early on.
Abdur Rehman or Saeed Ajmal, whichever of them plays, will be difficult customers on a helpful Premadasa deck. Also, not to discount is all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez, who is quite handy with his off-breaks.
Sri Lanka, playing their group games at home, and backed up by noisy fans, are one of the definite favourites for the title, and Pakistan are for sure, a solid outside bet to go all the way.
Both teams can blow hot and cold at times. Eventually, the volatile nature of Pakistan’s middle-order, up against a Malinga-led Lankan attack, could be the deciding factor in the game. If the likes of the Akmal brothers, Afridi, Misbah, Razzaq and Younus Khan fire, then Lanka could have their hands full. But very easily, the above mentioned six, could fall like a pack of cards as well.
