World Cup 2019, Match 11, Pakistan vs Sri Lanka: Why Pakistan will win the match
Pakistan scripted one of the most terrific comebacks in World Cup history when they snapped their 11-match losing streak against title contenders and World No. 1 ODI team, England. Sarfaraz Ahmed's men outplayed the hosts at Trent Bridge last Monday, with every player contributing his bit to the team's win.
The next challenge for Pakistan is Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka too had a rough start to their World Cup 2019 campaign just like the Men in Green, but they managed to secure their first points versus Afghanistan in their second fixture - although rain played a major role in the decision.
The two Asian nations will face each other at Bristol, the same venue where Afghanistan and Australia played the 4th match of the World Cup. The fast bowlers of both the teams got assistance from the wicket in that match, which means we can expect the likes of Suranga Lakmal, Nuwan Pradeep, Mohammad Amir and Wahab Riaz to come to the party at Bristol.
The fast bowling units of both the squads are strong and it will be the batsmen who will decide the result of this match. Now, the Sri Lankan batsmen have not had a World Cup to remember thus far and so, they will find it extremely difficult to handle the Pakistani fast bowlers.
On the other hand, the Pakistani batsmen showed that they have the patience and skills required to counter any fast bowling attack. They tackled Jofra Archer, Chris Woakes and Mark Wood with ease the other day.
So it can be concluded that the Pakistani batting order is stronger than that of their rivals, and hence they can be backed to chase down whatever total Sri Lanka put up on the board. If Pakistan bat first, they will try to cross the 300-run mark once again and put pressure on the opposition.
The end result of this match will likely be decided on the basis of how the Pakistani batsmen play. They looked extremely positive against England and hence, they can be expected to fire in unison once again, thereby derailing the Lankans.
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