Pakistan vs. Sri Lanka, Match 8 of the ODI World Cup 2023, Prediction

The ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 action will continue on Tuesday, October 10 at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad, as Pakistan and Sri Lanka square off in Match 8. Pakistan entered the match having defeated the Netherlands in their opening match by a score of 81 runs.

Early in the innings, the Babar Azam-led team was in trouble as they were reeling at 38/3 after 9.1 overs. However, courageous runs by Mohammad Rizwan (68 off 75) and Saud Shakeel (68 off 52) helped their side to 286. Haris Rauf shone with the ball, tallying 3/43 in nine overs.

In contrast, Sri Lanka was thoroughly defeated by South Africa in their opening game, losing by a huge margin of 102 runs. The bowling attack of Sri Lanka was decimated by the combination of Quinton de Kock, Rassie van der Dussen, and Aiden Markram, who also recorded the highest team total in World Cup history (428/5).

Days after a lawyer filed a complaint for anti-India comments, Pakistani presenter Zainab left the country.

In addition, Aiden Markram destroyed their whole bowling attack by scoring the tournament’s fastest century off just 49 balls. After such a crushing defeat, the Dasun Shanaka-led team will need to immediately recover and get ready for Pakistan’s challenge. Notably, Sri Lanka has a poor World Cup record against Pakistan, having dropped each of the seven games that have been played between the two teams. Their final World Cup match of 2019 was called off after a coin toss.

Thus, Sri Lanka’s forthcoming match becomes essential since they want to finally snap their losing trend and record their first victory of the competition. Pakistan, on the other side, will want to maintain their superiority and extend their winning streak.

Pitch & Conditions for PAK vs. SL

Three of the previous five games played at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium were won by teams batting first. In the history of the venue, the highest target chased was 250 and the average score when batting first was 282. Spinners received good help as the ball gripped and turned in the previous game played at the site between Pakistan and the Netherlands. Despite this, the surface is excellent for batting, so batting first and scoring more than 320 runs might result in a victory. Considering the past performance of the venue, the captain who wins the toss is likely to choose to bat first.

PAK vs SL Probable Playing XI for ODI World Cup 2023, Match 8

Pakistan (PAK)

In order to maintain their winning combination early in the innings, Pakistan is expected to employ the same starting lineup as in the previous match.

Probable XI: Imam-ul-Haq, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf

Sri Lanka (SL)

Off-spinner Maheesh Theekshana’s absence from the opening game owing to a hamstring injury has been a setback for Sri Lanka. In order to strengthen their bowling assault for the second game, the management is hoping the spinner recovers in time.

Probable XI: Kusal Perera, Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (wk), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dasun Shanaka (c), Dunith Wellalage, Matheesha Pathirana, Dilshan Madushanka, Lahiru Kumara/Maheesh Theekshana

PAK vs SL Head-to-Head in ODIs

PAK vs SL Broadcast Details: