Pakistan vs Sri Lanka, Asia Cup 2023: Probable XIs, pitch report, weather forecast and live streaming details

Modified Sep 14, 2023 07:00 IST

Babar Azam in action (Image Courtesy: ICC Cricket)

The fifth match of the Super Four stage of the Asia Cup 2023 will see Pakistan square off against Sri Lanka. R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo will be hosting this virtual semi-final clash, with the winner qualifying for the final to play India.

Pakistan suffered their first loss of the Asia Cup 2023 in their last game. They lost to India by a big margin and will be hoping to bring out their A-game on Thursday against Sri Lanka. Pakistan have been hit by injuries and will have to fire in unison to keep their final hopes alive.

Pakistan opted to bowl first against India and struggled to keep a check on the scoring rate as the men in blue posted 356 on the board. The batters then faltered while chasing this mammoth total as they got bundled out on 128 in 32 overs to lose the game by a margin of 228 runs.

Sri Lanka, meanwhile, won three games on the trot in the ongoing Asia Cup but their winning streak came to an end when they lost to India in their previous fixture. A win in their next game against Pakistan will see them qualify for the final. They will be hoping to bounce back on Thursday.

Dunith Wellalage and Charith Asalanka picked up five and four wickets respectively as they knocked over India on 213. Dhananjaya de Silva (41) and Wellalage (42*) tried hard but it wasn’t enough as they got bundled out on 172 to lose the game by 41 runs.

Pakistan vs Sri Lanka Match Details:

Match: Pakistan vs Sri Lanka, Super Fours, Match 5, Asia Cup 2023

Date and Time: September 14th 2023, Thursday, 3 PM IST

Venue: R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo

Pakistan vs Sri Lanka Pitch Report

The pitch at R. Premadasa Stadium assists spinners. They get plenty of purchase from the surface and the batters will have to be patient while playing here. Building partnerships will be key for the batters here at this venue.

Pakistan vs Sri Lanka Weather Forecast

There is a 90% chance of rain predicted on Thursday, with the temperature expected to hover between 24 to 28 degrees Celsius.

Pakistan vs Sri Lanka Probable XIs

Pakistan

Probable XI

Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Haris, Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Zaman Khan

Sri Lanka

Probable XI

Pathum Nissanka, Dimuth Karunaratne, Kusal Mendis (wk), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dasun Shanaka (c), Dunith Wellalage, Maheesh Theekshana, Kasun Rajitha, Matheesha Pathirana

Pakistan vs Sri Lanka Match Prediction

It’s a virtual semi-final, with the loser of this clash getting eliminated from the Asia Cup 2023. Expect both sides to come out all guns blazing on Thursday as a place in the final will be at stake.

Sri Lanka look a well-balanced unit and expect them to come out on top.

Prediction: Sri Lanka to win this clash of the Asia Cup 2023.