PAK vs SL Match Prediction & Betting Tips - Sep 14, 2023
Both, Sri Lanka and Pakistan will look to book a spot in the Asia Cup finals as they face off against each other on Thursday. The match will be played at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.
Sri Lanka vs Pakistan head-to-head record
Both teams have played 155 matches against each other to date. Pakistan has won 92 of them, while Sri Lanka has managed to win just 58. 1 match ended in a tie while 3 matches had no outcome.
Sri Lanka vs Pakistan Live-streaming and Broadcast
This match can be live-streamed on the Disney+ Hotstar App or can be watched live on the Star Sports Network.
PAK vs SL Team Previews
Pakistan
Pakistan have been clinical in their performance throughout this tournament. However, a massive defeat against arch-rivals India would have let some anxiety set in as they look to book a spot in the finals.
It was a poor batting effort from the men in green as they were bundled out for a mere 128 runs on a pitch where the Indians posted a massive 356. The openers have been disappointing, to say the least. Fakhar Zaman is averaging just over 20 runs in this tournament while barring the half-century against Bangladesh, Imam Ul-Haq too hasn’t been able to get going. There is some talk that Fakhar Zaman may be dropped for this match.
If that happens, Saud Shakeel might come into the middle order and Mohammad Rizwan will move to the opening slot.
The story goes on in the middle order too, as Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, and Iftikhar Ahmed have failed to bat consistently. The pace attack has been a highlight of Pakistan’s performance and all 3 seamers, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Naseem Shah have bowled well. While they were taken for runs against India, we expect them to bounce back.
Injuries will force Pakistan to make one or maybe two changes to their lineup. Mohammad Wasim Jr. and Shahnawaz Dahani may both be playing this match.
The spin attack does seem to be a bit lacking though as Shadab Khan is the only full-time spinner on the team. Looking at the nature of the pitch in the previous match, someone like Mohammad Nawaz or Usama Mir could be picked to bolster this part of the bowling unit also.
Pakistan Playing 11
Fakhar Zaman, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Haris, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Zaman Khan.
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka's incredible 13-match winning streak was finally broken on Tuesday as they faced a 41-run defeat against India. The team is now second on the points table, leading Pakistan in the NRR. However, that will count for nothing, because if Sri Lanka loses here, they will get eliminated.
There are plenty of learnings for the home team from the last match. They will need to work a lot on their batting if they want to get back to winning ways. The poor run of Pathum Nissanka and Dimuth Karunaratne has been a problem for Sri Lanka in this tournament.
They have had just one 50+ partnership in the 4 matches so far. This has put the middle order under stress and can cause them to crumble under pressure like they did against India. Sadeera Samarawickrama and Kusal Mendis have been the top performers with the bat so far and will once again hold the key during the middle overs.
Dhananjaya de Silva finally managed to get some runs under his belt but the form of Dasun Shanaka remains a concern. Coming to the bowling, the spinners were brilliant in the last match, picking up all the 10 wickets in the match against India.
If the pitch is similar to what we saw against India, then Sri Lanka has a real chance of beating Pakistan.
Dunith Wellalage and Charith Asalanka have been spot-on during the middle overs, while Kasun Rajitha and Matheesha Pathirana will feature in the pace attack. The pace bowling unit for Sri Lanka is really weak and could be its undoing.
Sri Lanka Playing 11
Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dasun Shanaka, Dunith Wellalage, Maheesh Theekshana, Pramod Madushan, Matheesha Pathirana.
PAK vs SL Toss Prediction
All 3 matches played on this ground during this tournament have been won while batting first. We, therefore, think that the winner of the toss will likely opt to bat first.
Read our guide on toss predictions to learn how we analyze and come up with our tips.
Pitch and Conditions
The last match once again showed that the R. Premadasa Stadium isn’t the easiest stadium to bat in. There was very little grass on the pitch and the surface offered plenty of turn. As many as 16 of the 20 wickets to fall were taken by the spinners. The pitch will get slower and more difficult to bat on as the match progresses. A score of around 240 is a par score. Talking about the weather, the conditions will be warm and humid and we can expect some interruptions due to rain.
PAK vs SL Betting Tips
Both teams have played well during the group stages and with a place in the finals up for grabs, we can expect a fierce encounter. The batting for both teams has been pretty average so it will be up to the bowlers to deliver the goods. Pakistan undoubtedly has a stronger pace attack but with Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf unlikely to feature in this match, the home team might just find itself at an advantage here.
Bet on Sri Lanka to win.
Bonus Cricket Bets
Two of the 3 matches played on this ground in this tournament have seen over 16 wickets fall. We are likely to have a similar outcome in this match too.
Wellalage is in excellent form at the moment. He picked up a fifer in the last match and has picked up 8 wickets in the last 3 matches. He is likely to be effective on the pitch at Colombo and we are therefore backing him to pick 2+ wickets.
The pitch at the R. Premadasa Stadium isn’t the easiest to bat on, and with the batsmen on both sides struggling to get going, we are unlikely to see a big over.
We are eager to know what you think of our match predictions, if there is anything we can do better or if you want to let us know your own predictions for the match.