Shaheen Afridi to Nissanka, no run, Afridi generates a good amount of inswing but the line is down leg, Nissanka looks to flick it across but is hit on the pads

Nissanka and Kusal Perera are at the crease. Nissanka is on strike. Shaheen Afridi will open the attack

Out come the players and take their positions in front of the giant flags.

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Teams:

Sri Lanka (Playing XI): Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis(w), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dasun Shanaka(c), Dunith Wellalage, Maheesh Theekshana, Matheesha Pathirana, Dilshan Madushanka

Pakistan (Playing XI): Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam(c), Mohammad Rizwan(w), Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf

Babar Azam: We also bowling first, the wicket looks very dry.

Sri Lanka have won the toss and have opted to bat

Dasun Shanaka: We will bat first, there was some assistance for the bowlers in the second half in the previous game. We have one change - Theekshana comes in for Kasun Rajitha. It is about execution and the boys have been playing a lot of cricket

Sri Lanka have won the toss and have opted to bat

Sri Lanka’s World Cup campaign didn’t start on a positive note. The South African batters made merry against them on a placid surface in Delhi and their bowlers had no answers to the onslaught. Their batting did show promise but chasing a massive target of 429, they fell short by quite a distance. The heartening thing for the Lankans is that Theekshana is available for selection today and he will be a huge boost for them on a pitch that is likely to grip and turn. Sri Lanka would be eager to fire on all cylinders and give Pakistan a tough run for their money. We are all set for a cracking contest...

Pakistan’s victory against the Netherlands wasn’t a straightforward one. During various passages of the game, the Netherlands pushed them on the back foot but the good thing was that they found ways to bounce back. Pakistan’s middle order did really well and helped them post a decent total leading the recovery from a precarious situation. Haris Rauf looked in great rhythm in the middle overs and was penetrative too. The question mark is about Fakhar Zaman’s poor form. Will Shafique replace him today? The fact that Pakistan have won all their World Cup games against Sri Lanka, seven to be precise, holds them in good stead.

12:49 Local Time, 07:19 GMT, 12:49 IST: Hello and a warm welcome to our live coverage of the second game of today’s World Cup double-header and it will be Pakistan who will be squaring off against Sri Lanka in Hyderabad. Babar Azam had mentioned earlier that Hyderabad has begun to feel a bit like home for Pakistan. They played both their warm-up games and their opening World Cup encounter against Netherlands here and are acclimatised with the conditions. Focusing on today's clash, Pakistan would have bitter memories though as they lost a tight knockout match against Sri Lanka in the most recent encounter between these sides in the Asia Cup. The match went down to the final ball and turned out to be a nail-biting contest.

Preview by Aayush Puthran

For as alien as it is for Pakistani players to be playing in India, the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad won't be alien enough when they face Sri Lanka on Tuesday. Over the last two weeks, they have played three games at the venue, even if they haven't come close to producing their potential best performance.

Sri Lanka isn't an opposition they would mind coming up against. Not only have they beaten their Asian counterparts in eight out of the last nine encounters but it's also a team that has never beaten Pakistan in World Cups. Being on the other side of the spectrum against India, Pakistan know a thing or two about the psychological advantage these historical baggages tend to bring.

Pakistan's head coach Grant Bradburn has insisted that the form of the fast bowlers has overshadowed the improved performances of their middle order. He isn't far from the truth. It's the best year that middle order has had since the 2019 World Cup. But also the worst for their top order. While the poor form of the openers has been well highlighted, Babar Azam has managed to score only 61 runs in the last 4 ODIs. A concern for Pakistan, an opportunity for Sri Lanka to pounce on and gain the early advantage.


It's still early days in the tournament and there is some early momentum already, even if largely insignificant. Sri Lanka will be coming into the game after having their bowling attack being taken apart by South Africa in their tournament opener in Delhi. Even as the batters put up a respectable score, it was far from enough to challenge the opposition. The likely return of Maheesh Theekshana would be good news for them, but it would lead to some minor selection dilemma. Do they go in with three frontline pacers or back both Theekshana and Dunith Wellalage?

More importantly, can they flip the momentum, break the winless run and give their world cup campaign a move on? It will be their last game at the now-familiar venue for Pakistan before they head to the hotter climes of Ahmedabad and Chennai. And they would hope to leave the city with lesser concerns than they came with.

When: Tuesday, October 10, 2023, 2:00 PM IST

Where: Pakistan vs Sri Lanka, Match 8, ICC World Cup 2023, Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad

What to expect: The pitch has been flat and allowed for easy run-scoring even as there is a bit of turn on offer. Pakistan have played three matches at the venue already over the last two weeks and would be well-equipped to understand the best approach for the conditions.

Team News:

Pakistan:Despite the win in the opening game, there are ample concerns for the team, especially at the top of the order. Bradburn backed Fakhar Zaman to come good, but it's not certain if he will retain his place in the XI.

Tactics & Strategy: After having made an 'impactful' contribution on his return to the side, Hasan Ali wouldn't mind taking on his favourite opponent, and possibly their most important batter - Kusal Mendis. Hasan has dismissed Mendis thrice in 18 balls in ODIs, conceding only 7 runs.

Likely XI:Fakhar Zaman/Abdullah Shafique, Imam ul Haq, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf

Sri Lanka: Maheesh Theekshana will be available for the clash against Pakistan, providing a much-needed boost to their bowling attack after the hammering it received against South Africa

Tactics & Strategy: Sri Lanka would look to take advantage of the vulnerability of Pakistan's top order. Fakhar Zaman has struggled against the full swinging ball lately, one which Logan van Beek also used to good effect in the opening game.

Likely XI: Kusal Perera, Patthum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dasun Shanaka, Maheesh Theekshana, Dunith Wellalage/Dilshan Madhushanka, Kasun Rajitha, Matheesha Pathirana

Did you know?

Sri Lanka have never beaten Pakistan in the 50-over World Cup. The two teams have faced off against each other eight times with Pakistan winning seven times and one match getting abandoned.

Pakistan have won eight of the last nine ODIs against Sri Lanka

Since 2022, Sri Lankan spinners have been the most productive among all teams, averaging 26.13. Pakistan spinners, on the other hand, have had the second worst record (39.85)

What they said:

"Pakistan is quite a strong opposition. The only advantage that we have is that we have been playing Pakistan recently in the Asia Cup as well, so both teams know quite well about each team's strengths, weaknesses, whatever it may be. I think it's going to be a good tussle" - Naveed Nawaz, Sri Lanka's assistant coach

"We've got full faith in our top order. They will click at some stage. And we're open and honest to say that we're not getting what we would like out of the Powerplay as yet. But we're certainly very happy with other phases of our game which have kicked into gear and did enough the other night to get over the line" - Grant Bradburn, New Zealand head coach

Squads:

Sri Lanka Squad: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis(w), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dasun Shanaka(c), Dunith Wellalage, Kasun Rajitha, Matheesha Pathirana, Dilshan Madushanka, Dimuth Karunaratne, Lahiru Kumara, Dushan Hemantha, Maheesh Theekshana

Pakistan Squad: Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam(c), Mohammad Rizwan(w), Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Agha Salman, Usama Mir, Abdullah Shafique, Mohammad Wasim Jr