Match: Pakistan vs Sri Lanka, Cricket World Cup 2023 (PAK vs SL)
Date: October 10, Tuesday, 2.00 PM IST
Venue: Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, Hyderabad
Pakistan and Sri Lanka will contest the eighth match of the Cricket World Cup 2023 on October 10 at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Hyderabad. Pakistan got off to a winning start to their campaign, but the win came against a lower-ranked Netherlands team. And even in that win, they were in a losing position at one point of time. Their batting was unimpressive, and that is one area they will have to work on ahead of the next games. Their top three – Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq and skipper Babar Azam scored just 32 runs combined against Netherlands, before Mohammed Rizwan (68) and Saud Shakeel (68) steadied the ship. They eventually were bowled out for 286 in 49 overs. But a combined bowling effort helped restrict the target. Haris Rauf picked up three wickets while Hasan Ali took two. The Pakistan batsmen, who have historically batted well against spinners, will now look to perform better against Sri Lanka, a spin-heavy team.
Sri Lanka, on the other hand, are coming off a big loss at the hands of South Africa, who posted the highest total in World Cup history (428). All Sri Lankan bowlers were hit for plenty of runs, but the batsmen gave a good fight in the chase, before being bowled out for 326. Kusal Mendis (76), Charith Asalanka (79) and skipper Dasun Shanaka (68) were the three top run-scorers for Sri Lanka.
Ahead of the eighth game of Cricket World Cup 2023, here’s everything you need to know to maximise your chances of winning cash prizes on MPL fantasy.
Weather update and pitch report for PAK vs SL, Cricket World Cup 2023
The pitch at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Hyderabad is expected to be batting friendly, if we judge it by the World Cup matches played here so far. But the bowlers, especially pacers, also get assistance from the pitch. A total of eight ODI matches have been played here in the past, from which the average first innings score reads 287. Four of the seven matches were won by the teams batting first.
It will be mostly sunny in Hyderabad on match day, with the maximum temperature reading 34 degrees Celsius.
Pakistan team news and predicted XI
Team news: Babar Azam is unlikely to make any changes to the playing XI which defeated Netherlands. The captain himself will be looking to make amends for scoring just five runs in the previous game.
Squad: Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Mohammad Rizwan, Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Salman Ali Agha, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Wasim.
Predicted XI: Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam (C), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf
Sri Lanka team news and predicted XI
Team news: Maheesh Theekshana is likely to return for this match. He was out of the first clash against South Africa as he was still recovering from a hamstring injury.
Squad: Dasun Shanaka (c), Kusal Mendis (vc), Kusal Perera, Pathum Nissanka, Lahiru Kumara, Dimuth Karunaratne, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Maheesh Theekshana, Dunith Wellalage, Kasun Rajitha, Matheesha Pathirana, Dilshan Madushanka, Dushan Hemantha.
Predicted XI: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis (wicket-keeper), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dasun Shanaka (captain), Dunith Wellalage, Kasun Rajitha, Maheesh Theekshana, and Matheesha Pathirana.
Head-to-head record
In the 50-over format, the two sides have played against each other in a total of 156 matches, of which 92 were won by Pakistan. Sri Lanka have 59 wins. One match ended in a tie while four of them ended without a result. The Lankans have lost all their seven previous World Cup games against Pakistan.
Five players to watch out for
Here we list five players you must pick in your MPL fantasy XI for PAK vs SL, Cricket World Cup 2023
Babar Azam – batsman, Sri Lanka
The Pakistan captain loves batting against Sri Lanka, which can be seen from his batting average, Babar has scored 525 runs in 11 ODIs against Sri Lanka at an average of 58.33. This includes three centuries and a fifty. He has a good record at the ODI World Cup too – 479 runs in nine matches at an average of 59.87.
Kusal Mendis – batsman, Sri Lanka
Kusal Mendis is the top run-scorer in ODIs from the current Sri Lankan squad, with 3.215 runs at an average of 32.15. His recent form – a knock of 76 against South Africa in Sri Lanka’s World Cup opener, 158 runs in the warm-up match against Afghanistan, 91, 50 and 92 in the Asia Cup against Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, respectively, makes Mendis one of the players to watch out for in this match.
Haris Rauf – bowler, Pakistan
Haris Rauf is Pakistan’s best bowler who has been consistently delivering the goods. He picked up nine wickets in four matches at the Asia cup 2023 and started the 2023 World Cup with three wickets against the Netherlands. In his 29-match ODI career, the pacer has already picked up 56 wickets.
Pathum Nissanka – batsman, Sri Lankan
Another Sri Lankan batsman who may win you some points in fantasy cricket is Pathum Nissanka, who is the third-highest run-scorer in ODIs this year, with 819 runs in 21 matches at an average of 43.10. He has scored two centuries and five fifties this year alone.
Mohammed Rizwan – wicketkeeper batsman, Pakistan
Just when wickets kept falling for Pakistan against Netherlands, Rizwan took it upon himself to bring stability to the innings, scoring 68 runs. Earlier, he scored 103 in the warm-up against New Zealand. Rizwan has a batting average of 37.46 in in 66 ODIs.
MPL fantasy XI – PAK vs SL, Cricket World Cup 2023
PAK vs SL – where and what time to watch the match live in India
The Pakistan vs Sri Lanka ODI will be televised on the Star Sports Network in India. You can also watch the game on the Disney + Hotstar app as well as the Jiocinema app. The match will begin at 2.00 PM IST on October 10.
Check out our detailed guide on fantasy cricket for more tips and tricks. https://www.mpl.live/blog/todays-match-prediction/
Note: The players recommended here need not be a part of the Playing 11 on game day. Users are advised to do their own research also and follow official sources and create their teams.
