A preview of the ODI Series Betwen Sri Lanka and Pakistan
One Day Cricket has become a bit of a headache for both Sri Lanka and Pakistan lately. While both teams show immensely entertaining capabilities in the shortest form of the game – as showcased in the recently concluded T20 series – increasing the length of an innings to 50 overs causes some head scratching in both camps.
For Pakistan, their frailty is in their inexplicable inconsistency. Few teams can perform so well in one match, only to utterly self destruct in the next. More often than not, it is their batting that causes this see saw in fortunes. They have played 30 ODIs this year, and haven’t been able to win more than two in a row. Two wins will get the job done in this series, but Pakistani fans would probably breathe easier if someone other than long suffering captain Misbah-ul-Haq stepped up on a consistent basis. That someone may well be young Sharjeel Khan, who has been drafted into the side in place of regular opener Nasir Jamshed. Khan was quite successful against the Sri Lankan attack in the T20s and poses a significant threat at the top of the order if left unchecked for long. Their bowling unit however, has been their forte, and was key in their impressive series victory against South Africa in the Proteas own backyard. Two of their strike bowlers will be missing this series due to injury however, and in the absence of Umar Gul and Mohammad Irfan, there will be added pressure on the spinners to keep the Lankans in check.
That is not to say that Sri Lanka’s batting is all that invincible. For quite a while the Lankans have been racking up results on the back of performances by the three veterans at the top of the order. There has been some noise made about the lack of performances by the younger generation, but positive results have ensured that most of the said players have been able to maintain their places in the team. This time however, there will be added pressure on them. The three giants have been reduced to two, with Mahela Jayawardene not being part of the limited overs leg of the tour. While this still leaves the ODI cricketer of the year Kumar Sangakkara, and opening batsman in the ODI team of the year TM Dilshan for Pakistan to contend with, it increases the likelihood that the contributions made by the rest of the lineup will be vital in deciding the outcome of the series. Mahela’s absence can also be viewed as a blessing for these batsmen, as it allows the likes of Dinesh Chandimal and Lahiru Thirimanne to move up the order, where they should be more comfortable. Kusal Perera and Angelo Mathews both showed form in the T20s, and Sri Lanka will hope that they carry this into the ODIs.
From the evidence of the T20 series, it is likely that the toss will play an important role due to the dew factor. Sri Lanka generally enjoys strangling their opponents when defending a total, a task that becomes much harder with a slippery ball as witnessed in the second T20. It will be a good test of the fortitude of the bowling unit and their ability to handle pressure, should this be required in this series. The Lankans will be without senior spinner Rangana Herath, and there will be a lot of expectations on the likes of Sachithra Senanayake and Seekkuge Prasanna.
The 2015 World Cup will be played on pitches far different to those in the UAE. Yet this series is important for both teams in that context. More than the final result, it will be the performances of the emerging individuals that go a long way to success in 2015. It is a chance for both teams to address nagging issues that have plagued them for months, and to try and achieve stability
The first ODI of the series gets underway at Sharjah on the 18th of December.
Sri Lanka ODI squad: Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kusal Perera, Dimuth Karunaratne, Kumar Sangakkara, Angelo Mathews (capt), Dinesh Chandimal, Lahiru Thirimanne, Ashan Priyanjan, Kithuruwan Vithanage, Thisara Perera, Nuwan Kulasekara, Lasith Malinga, Suranga Lakmal, Sachithra Senanayake, Rangana Herath, Seekkuge Prasanna
Pakistan ODI Squad: Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), Mohammad Hafeez, Sharjeel Khan, Ahmed Shehzad, Sohaib Maqsood, Haris Sohail, Asad Shafiq, Umar Akmal, Shahid Afridi, Saeed Ajmal, Abdur Rehman, Junaid Khan, Anwar Ali, Sohail Tanvir, Bilawal Bhatti
