Rawalpindi set for another close encounter as Pakistan and Sri Lanka clash again
Pakistan v Sri Lanka | 2nd ODI | Thursday, 13th November | Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi | 11:30am
Pakistan won the series opener by six runs on Tuesday.
Thursday’s encounter, at the same venue, is the second game of a three-match series.
Pakistan have won four of their last five ODI’s against Sri Lanka.
Tuesday’s win saw Pakistan pass Sri Lanka on the ICC rankings; they are now ranked fourth while Sri Lanka are fifth.
Pakistan’s Babar Azam is the highest ranked ODI batsman in the series at fifth place. Despite his lofty ranking he has now gone 33 innings since his last ODI ton.
Pakistan opener Salman Agha is in great form – he has scored 271 runs in his last five ODI innings at an average of 90.33. He was named man of the match on Tuesday for his undefeated knock of 105.
Venue: Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium
Sri Lanka have won 50 percent of the games they have played in Rawalpindi with two wins from four games.
Pakistan have lost just five of the 23 ODIs they have played in Rawalpindi.
The highest score recorded at the ground was Pakistan’s 337 for three from 48.2 overs made against New Zealand in 2023. This was also the highest score successfully chased.
No ODI in Rawalpindi has ever ended as a No Result.
The lowest score made at the ground was Zimbabwe’s 104 all out from 33 overs against Sri Lanka in 2004.
The average first innings score in Rawalpindi is 244.
Rawalpindi is the venue for all three of the ODIs in the series.
Weather:
It looks set to be another perfect day for cricket in Rawalpindi on Thursday with forecasts suggesting that it will be sunny and clear. The high temperature is expected to be around 24 degrees with a low of approximately 11. There will be a light northwest wind and a zero percent chance of precipitation during both the day and night. The air is expected to be dry, with low humidity.
Form (most recent game first):
Pakistan: W, W, L, W, L.
Sri Lanka: L, W, W, W, L.
Key player:
Pakistan, Haris Rauf: Experienced paceman Haris Rauf didn’t get much a run against South Africa – he played in the final ODI and bowled just three wicketless overs. But he was in the mix against Sri Lanka in the first ODI, playing a game changing role with a return of four for 61. Critically it was Rauf who broke the opening stand of 85 between Pathum Nissanka and Kamil Mishara. But Rauf didn’t just end the opening stand, he followed it up with a further two wickets in the next four balls, to alter the momentum and course of the game. Rauf’s form with the ball has been patchy in recent times, but he appears to be getting back to his best. he averages 26.68 in ODI cricket but his numbers against Sri Lanka are markedly better at 18,2.
Sri Lanka, Kamil Mishara: He’s played a handful of T20Is for Sri Lanka, but Tuesday was his ODI debut. Batting at the top of the order he looked both comfortable and accomplished as he shared in an 85-run stand for the first wicket. A score of 38 on debut may not be brilliant, but it is not bad either. Coupled with List A and First-Class averages of over 40, the signs are all there that Mishara has a big future ahead of him. Expect more runs from him this series.
Verdict: Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka were looking good in their chase in the first game until they lost three wickets in five balls and their belief faltered. Nevertheless, they came very close to victory with some brave batting from Wanindu Hasaranga (59 from 52) and Maheesh Theekshana (21 from 18) taking them to within six runs of the win. They will take plenty of confidence from Tuesday’s performance and it is not hard to see them levelling matters on Thursday.
