LONDON: Pakistan are once again looking towards their senior players as they take on in-form Sri Lanka in a World Twenty20 Super Eights match here at Lord’s today.
Seasoned stars like Shahid Afridi, Kamran Akmal and Younis Khan brought Pakistan back from the brink of disaster with a much-needed win against the Netherlands and will once again have to live up to expectations against the Sri Lankans.
Having used their lifeline following a crushing 48-run defeat against England, Pakistan will be hoping to have a smoother run in the Super Eights.
But if the tournament form book is any yardstick, then Younis Khan’s men should count them as lucky if they are able to stop the Sri Lankan juggernaut at Lord’s this afternoon.
Sri Lanka knocked Australia out of the tournament with a six-wicket triumph and then just sailed to a comfortable 15-run win over West Indies at Trent Bridge.
They entered the Super Eights with an unblemished record and with an in-form batting line and a potent spin attack formed by the wily Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis, Sri Lanka appear to be the team to beat in this competition.
Pakistan, on the other hand, highlighted the fact that they are still the most unpredictable of the leading teams in the tournament. They were hammered by 48 runs by England at The Oval on Sunday but bounced back to tame the Dutch by 82 runs to make the cut for the Super Eights.
But in spite of that emphatic win, confusion remains as a major factor in their camp with the team management still undecided over the playing XI for the match against Sri Lanka till yesterday afternoon.
Pakistan have summoned Abdul Razzaq as a replacement for the injured Yasir Arafat but the experienced all-rounder is unlikely to be available for today’s game as he will land here less than an hour before the start of the match.
Fitness is a major concern for the Pakistan, who were unsure about the inclusion of left-arm pacer Sohail Tanvir as he is suffering from a leg injury. With all-rounder Arafat already out of the squad, Pakistan will have just 13 players available for today’s game.
However, Pakistan coach Intikhab Alam was confident his charges will carry the sort of form that helped them qualify for the Super Eights into the game against Sri Lanka.
“Sri Lanka are a very strong side there is no doubt about that,” Intikhab told Arab News. “But we have finally gathered momentum with the game against the Netherlands that is why I’m confident we will do well tomorrow.”
Intikhab agreed that spinners in the two teams are likely to play major roles in the game.
“Both teams have good spin bowlers are expected to make a major impact in tomorrow’s game.”
Pakistan will once again be relying on their spin duo of Shahid Afridi and Saeed Ajmal, who collected seven wickets between them against the Dutch.
But unlike the Dutch who were clueless against Afridi’s aggressive leg-spinners and Ajmal’s doosras, Sri Lanka have batters who are not really bothered by spin bowling.
They had ample practice against Muralitharan and Mendis at Lord’s yesterday to be ready for the Afridi-Ajmal duo.
Pakistan and Sri Lanka will square off for the first time after the tourists came under a horrific terrorist attack in Lahore this February. But Kumar Sangakkara, their captain, said that cricket and not Lahore was on their mind ahead of the Super Eights match.
“No emotions before the game. Lahore was Lahore. We’re here to play cricket,” he said.
Sangakkara agreed that spin will be his strength once again.
“Spin has been our strength for years. Hopefully our guys wil keep performing and keep adding new strengths and win us games like in the past.”
Sangakkara believes Pakistan’s unpredictability can pose surprises.
“Pakistan is very unpredictable. They have been for years. And if you are not ready for that, be prepared with a few extra options. They can have a few nasty surprises. They are a great side. They have great players. We just got to make sure we’re better than them.”
After several days of overcast conditions, the Pakistan-Sri Lanka match is unlikely to be hit by wet weather but there is prediction of a cloud cover here this afternoon.
