The eleventh match of the World Cup tournament will see Pakistan clashing with Sri Lanka at Bristol County Ground in Bristol on Friday. As per the latest reports coming in, it is raining at the County Ground in Bristol, and hence, the match is likely to get delayed.
Both the teams come with the confidence of winning their second match after having lost their first matches in the tournament.
The Pakistan side has lived up to its expectations—of being unpredicable. The 1992 world cup winners suffered a humiliating defeat against the West Indies in their opening game. Pakistan were crushed by seven wickets after being bundled out for their second-lowest World Cup total of 105 in just 21.4 overs.
However, the side made the best come back possible by defeating tournament favourites and hosts, England, in their second match. They defeated England by 14 runs, also putting an end to their 11-match losing streak.
Sri Lanka, on the other hand, are not in their best of form this World Cup. They were crushed to a 10-wicket win by New Zealand in their first match. However, they won the second match against minnows Afghanistan, despite facing a batting collapse. Sri Lanka, who made the fastest 10-over start to the tournament by racing to 79/0, lost its last nine wickets for 57 runs in just 15.4 overs.
Batting woes would continue to worry Sri Lanka, especially with a formidable Pakistan pace attack led by Mohammed Amir, Hasan Ali and Wahab Riaz. Lanka’s strength lies in their death bowling, led by the experienced Lasith Malinga with Nuwan Pradeep and Suranga Lakmal.
For Pakistan, batsmen Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman and Imam-ul-Haq have been consistent at the top. While Azam will be the Pakistan batsman to watch out for on Friday, Kusal Perera would play a crucial role from the Sri Lankan side.
Pakistan is likely to maintain the same team as the last match.
