Sri Lanka vs Pakistan T20 Cricket World Cup Super 8 Predictions - Sahibzada Farhan to hit Sri Lanka for fourth win on the bounce

Simon Lewis

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Last updated: 1 hour ago

Simon Lewis 1 hour ago

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Sahibzada Farhan hit two sixes in his 45-ball 63 against England.
Pathum Nissanka has scored 100* and 62 in his last four innings.
Can Pakistan keep their semi-final hopes alive with a big win over Sri Lanka?

Sahibzada Farhan pulls against England (Getty Images).

Sri Lanka vs Pakistan Predictions

Sri Lanka’s great start to the tournament has imploded after they lost three matches in a row. They bowlers are playing their part, but they haven’t been supported by their batters. Pakistan have been up and down through the tournament, with their batters failing to perform consistently as a unit. The Pakistan attack will make the difference in this clash, so I am backing them to take the win.

Sri Lanka vs Pakistan Predictions
Head-to-Head
Sri Lanka Form
Pakistan Form
Sri Lanka vs Pakistan Team News & Squads

Pakistan’s Sahibzada Farhan has scored 73, 100* & 63 in his last 4 innings.
Pakistan’s Shadab Khan has scored 30, 36* & 23 in his last 4 innings.
Sri Lanka’s Pathum Nissanka hit five sixes in his 52-ball 100* against Australia.
Sri Lanka’s Pavan Rathnayake has scored 60, 28 & 44 in his last 5 innings.

Head-to-Head

Pakistan have won two and lost two of their last five T20Is against Sri Lanka. The other match was rained-out.

Sri Lanka Form

Sri Lanka suffered their third defeat in three matches when they lost to New Zealand by 61 runs in their Super 8 clash.

Sri Lanka bowled superbly to restrict New Zealand to 84/6 inside 13 overs. A late flurry of runs lifted the Kiwis to 168/7 to set Sri Lanka a challenging target. Maheesh Theekshana (3/30, econ 7.50) and Dushmantha Chameera (3/38, econ 9.50) starred with the ball for Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka’s chase started disastrously as they slipped to 29/4. They staggered along to 77/7 after 15 overs, ending on 107/8 off their 20 overs. Kamindu Mendis (31 off 23) and Dunith Wellalage (29 off 23) were the only two batters to pass 11 for the co-hosts.

Pakistan Form

After their opening match of the tournament was rained-out, Pakistan needed a win to put themselves in a strong position to make the semis. Despite a decent batting performance and some brilliant bowling, Pakistan couldn’t prevent England from sneaking over the line in the last over of the match.

Pakistan were making slow but steady progress at 73/2 in the 11th over before they lost Babar Azam for 25 off 24 balls. Sahibzada Farhan top-scored with 63 off 45 balls, taking Pakistan to 122/4 in the 16th over.

Fakhar Zaman (25 off 16) and Shadab Khan (23 off 11) added some quick runs at the end of their innings to lift Pakistan to a competitive score of 164/9 off their 20 overs.

Shaheen Shah Afridi took one wicket in each of his first three matches in the World Cup before bursting out with superb figures of 4/30, knocking over England’s top four batters to restrict them to 58/4 at the start of the 8th over.

Mohammad Nawaz (2/26) and Usman Tariq (2/31) did their best to limit England’s chase, but they couldn’t prevent England from claiming a two-wicket win with five balls to spare.

Sri Lanka vs Pakistan Team News & Squads

Sri Lanka’s captain, Dasun Shanaka admitted that it was embarrassing to have disappointed the home crowd.

“We started really well but, to be honest, that Santner partnership was a good one. Took the game away from us. We didn't expect the pitch to turn this much because it's a new pitch. We wanted to restrict them to under 130 but they played really well,” said Shanaka.

“I thought the wicket might settle since it's a new pitch, but they bowled in the right areas. Give credit to New Zealand's bowlers. Our batsmen need to take responsibility up top. Can't rely on one or two batsmen in a game," added Shanaka.

Pakistan skipper Salman Agha conceded that England’s batters had made the difference in their defeat in their Super 8 clash. Speaking in the post-match interview, Agha admitted that his side had started well with the bat but that they failed to push through to the end of the innings in the way they wanted.

“Some days you have to give credit to other batters. I think Harry batted brilliantly. Our score was a bit short. And then Brook took the game away from us. We threw everything at him,” said Agha.

“Afridi bowled really well today. He's famous for early wickets and he did that today. Whenever we play against England and lose, it's always him. I have to say hats off to him. The way Nawaz bowled the 19th over, I thought maybe, you never know. Even if there's a 1% chance my team will go for it," added Agha.

Sri Lanka (possible XI): Dasun Shanaka (c), Kusal Mendis, Kamil Mishara, Pathum Nissanka, Pavan Rathnayake, Dushan Hemantha, Kamindu Mendis, Dushmantha Chameera, Dilshan Madushanka, Maheesh Theekshana, Dunith Wellalage.

Pakistan (possible XI): Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha (c), Babar Azam, Usman Khan, Khawaja Nafay, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Abrar Ahmed, Usman Tariq.

Verdict

Sri Lanka v Pakistan

I am backing Pakistan to win. I am also backing Sahibzada Farhan to top score for Pakistan.

Pathum Nissanka is a good bet to top score for Sri Lanka.

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