In Colombo, Pakistan and Sri Lanka competed in the fifth Super Four match of the 2023 Asia Cup. The two Asian powerhouses faced off in what was essentially a semifinal match, with the winner taking on India on September 17th. On Wednesday, Pakistan made the lineup announcement for their vital match against Sri Lanka. Mohammad Haris is the main candidate to open alongside Imam-ul-Haq, replacing Fakhar Zaman, who has been in terrible form lately. Fakhar Zaman was given another chance after it was determined at the toss that Saud Shakeel and Imam were unfit to compete.
The left-handed batter got off to a cautious start, but Pramod Madushan’s spectacular inswinging yorker in the fifth over ended his innings. Fakhar left after only 11 deliveries for 4 points. The 33-year-old has only scored 65 runs in four innings so far in the Asia Cup 2023, with an appalling average of 16.25 and an unusually low strike rate of 60.
What an unplayable delivery from Pramod Madushan to dismiss Fakhar Zaman 🔥🥵.
Pace bowling like this is a treat for our eyes. ❤️🤌 #PAKvSL #AsiaCup2023 #SLvPAKpic.twitter.com/73lT7d9IZo
— Tejash (@TEJASH_45) September 14, 2023
Fakhar Zaman had a good start to 2023, scoring a hat-trick of century against New Zealand at home and winning the ICC Player of the Month honour for the month of April.
However, the seasoned player has only scored 190 runs at an average of 19 over the last 10 innings. His greatest mark throughout this time is only 33. With the ODI World Cup starting in three weeks, Pakistan will be extremely concerned about Fakhar’s performance.
Abdullah Shafique demonstrates promise against Sri Lanka with a strong half-century.
Abdullah Shafique, Pakistan’s red-ball cricket opener, took advantage of his opportunity to participate in the match against Sri Lanka. The 23-year-old batted with excellent technique on a challenging surface to score his first half-century in the format. with the end, he dragged a shot straight to deep square leg, which resulted with his dismissal for 52 off 69 balls.
Rain delayed the start of the game, which was then changed to a 45-over-per-side encounter. In the 28th over, Pakistan lost their fifth wicket for 130 runs. They will be keen to surpass 200 in order to make life difficult for Sri Lanka.
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