Pakistani cricket team seems to be getting its rhythm back and there cannot be a better time to get in shape and form than the biggest tournament of the cricketing world, the ICC Cricket World Cup.
Almost all their batsmen have got some runs to show, though no one has been able to play a long inning. They have lost three wickets and their score is 164 runs at the end of 33 runs. So was Shahid Afridi on the dot that he claimed that his team needs around 270 runs to win the mathc?
Misbah and Yunis are at the crease scoring 32 and 44 runs respectively. I wonder if one of the two players is able to play a long inning for his team, they can even cross the bar set by their captain.
Earlier Hafeez played a useful inning of 32 runs off 3 balls and Kamran Akmal scored 39 runs off 48 balls.
So the loss of three wickets is not such an important issue with them right now as long as their batsmen are scoring runs.
The good thing for Pakistani batsmen is the fact that Sri Lankan bowlers have been almost ineffective so far and haven’t been able to inset required pressure on Pakistani batsmen. Only Perera and Herath have got one wicket each.
All it was about winning the toss in a day night match between Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Now it’s in Aridi’s hands capable to twist the game towards his side. Yes he has rightly elected to bat hoping the night will resist Simhalas to go wild against Aktar and co.
But, things would be much harder against the co-hosts who can enjoy the benefit of home side at any cost. The hall of spin Murali has already started chopping the top order of the batting line up. Kamal, the hero against Kenya has returned to pavilion on the heels of much hoped Hafeez.
Both the youngsters have been struggling to keep the morale against a veteran spinner like Murali. Hafeez walked out the field after a blunter run out leaving the burden on middle order stalwarts like Yunis and Misbah.
The play is expected to be much thrilling on the second part when Dilshan and Jayavardane take their batting power play. They can blaze against Aktar and Afridi before a cheering crowd at their favorite ground in Colombo.
However, the records support Pakistan to continue their domination over Srilanka. Pakistan has won eight out of nine matches they have faced internationally including six in WC. The rest of the matches were in Champions Trophy
Wonderfully enough their last match in World Cup back in 1992 reaffirmed Pakistan’s supremacy. But, nobody can write off Sri Lanka who lifted the most sought after WC trophy in 1996. They have maintained the morale in 2003 with a semi final berth and in 2007 as finalist.
Almost all their batsmen have got some runs to show, though no one has been able to play a long inning. They have lost three wickets and their score is 164 runs at the end of 33 runs. So was Shahid Afridi on the dot that he claimed that his team needs around 270 runs to win the mathc?
Misbah and Yunis are at the crease scoring 32 and 44 runs respectively. I wonder if one of the two players is able to play a long inning for his team, they can even cross the bar set by their captain.
Earlier Hafeez played a useful inning of 32 runs off 3 balls and Kamran Akmal scored 39 runs off 48 balls.
So the loss of three wickets is not such an important issue with them right now as long as their batsmen are scoring runs.
The good thing for Pakistani batsmen is the fact that Sri Lankan bowlers have been almost ineffective so far and haven’t been able to inset required pressure on Pakistani batsmen. Only Perera and Herath have got one wicket each.
All it was about winning the toss in a day night match between Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Now it’s in Aridi’s hands capable to twist the game towards his side. Yes he has rightly elected to bat hoping the night will resist Simhalas to go wild against Aktar and co.
But, things would be much harder against the co-hosts who can enjoy the benefit of home side at any cost. The hall of spin Murali has already started chopping the top order of the batting line up. Kamal, the hero against Kenya has returned to pavilion on the heels of much hoped Hafeez.
Both the youngsters have been struggling to keep the morale against a veteran spinner like Murali. Hafeez walked out the field after a blunter run out leaving the burden on middle order stalwarts like Yunis and Misbah.
The play is expected to be much thrilling on the second part when Dilshan and Jayavardane take their batting power play. They can blaze against Aktar and Afridi before a cheering crowd at their favorite ground in Colombo.
However, the records support Pakistan to continue their domination over Srilanka. Pakistan has won eight out of nine matches they have faced internationally including six in WC. The rest of the matches were in Champions Trophy
Wonderfully enough their last match in World Cup back in 1992 reaffirmed Pakistan’s supremacy. But, nobody can write off Sri Lanka who lifted the most sought after WC trophy in 1996. They have maintained the morale in 2003 with a semi final berth and in 2007 as finalist.
