Cricket will move to the home capital today when Sri Lanka takes on Pakistan in their third ODI to be played at the R.Premadasa Stadium Colombo which will be underway at 2:30p.m. As for home team skipper Angelo Mathews Sri Lanka prefer to go to battle with the side unchanged that won the second ODI at Pallekele.
“There will be no change in the batting lineup. We have to look at the pitch before changing bowlers but I believe we can play with a similar bowling unit in this match too,” said Mathews.
“I don’t want to meddle with the batting line up. Regardless win or lose. Our target should be to get a settled combination in a few months time. We are on the right path. We don’t have the Sangakkara or Mahela experience to deal with pressure but boys are handling it pretty well as seen in the last game,”added Mathews.
Pakistan will have the headache of selecting as they have to find a fifth bowler to bowl, since the loss of Hafeez. Pakistan could bowl 10 overs with Sohaib Malik and skipper Azhar Ali himself or drop a batsman for uncapped off spinner Bilal Asif; while fast bowler Eashan Adil will be an option while either Babar Azam or Mohammad Rizwan will have to sit out.
“He (Hafeez) is a very good bowler. it’s going to be a loss for Pakistan. He is one of the bowlers out of the top 7 who can bowl 10 overs. So it’s going be negative for Pakistan but we can’t complain with that” said Mathews.
He also said that he is impressed with Dinesh Chandimal who has been controlling the lower middle order of this series while playing a match winning innings in the last ODI. “He has matured quite a lot. We actually have gone with Chandimal and Thirimanne throughout the last few years and now it’s paying off. I’m pretty sure Thirimanne will also do that. We just have to give confidence and be patient with them,” said Mathews
There is a bit of a question mark hanging in the place of all rounder Thisara Perera who batted at number nine and bowled only 2 overs in the last match yet Mathews said Perera could be a match winner on his day and since he had played more than 100 ODIs now he expects Perera to be more consistent with his performance.
Being a Sunday, the day/ night game and first ODI in 7 months in Colombo, it is expected to be a full house of spectators as tickets have been already been sold out for the match.
Squads
Pakistan: Azhar Ali (Capt), Mukhtar Ahmed, Ahmed Shehzad, Mohammad Hafeez, Asad Shafiq, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Rizwan, Babar Azam, Sarfraz Ahmed, Yasir Shah, Bilal Asif, Immad Wasim, Anwar Ali, Mohammad Irfan, Ehsan Adil, Rahat Ali.
Sri Lanka: Angelo Mathews (Capt), Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kusal Perera, Upul Tharanga, Lahiru Thirimanne, Dinesh Chandimal, Milinda Siriwardena, Ashan Priyanjan, Nuwan Pradeep, Thisara Perera, Suranga Lakmal, Lasith Malinga, Sachithra Senanayake, Seekkuge Prasanna, Sachith Pathirana.
