Pakistan will be playing their first big match of the world cup against hosts SriLanka. Pakistani cricket fans are getting nervy, they do not have confidence in their team and fear loss before every encounter.
Team Pakistan and it’s fans should remember only one thing they have beaten Sri Lanka in each of their six encounters in the World Cups and have won their previous five games at the R Premadasa. The fans of Pakistan team and the cricket pundits have been a bit nervous regarding their bowling combination, the form of Shoaib Akhtar and the lack of pace of Abdul Razzaq has been the main concern.
The newly laid pitch at Premadasa stadium has so far been a bat first- low scoring track, the average score at this track has been 225. I think Pakistan still has enough fire power in their bowling even if they don’t make a change they should not drop a batsman against SriLanka as Srilanka is a good bowling side. They can play Riaz in place of Akhtar if he is not fully fit but thats about it.
Play the match like any other match no need to get nervous this match will have little or no consequences on Pakistan’s chances to qualify for the QF, so Afridi & CO should play their natural game and should not take any pressure at all for this match. The pundits might not respect Pakistan team but in my opinion this team has all the firepower to beat any team in this tournament.
All we need is that our key players should play the match with their natural flare. We lose matches when we take pressure and self implode. Pakistan has beaten this SriLankan team on many occasions, they will have a home advantage and a knowledge of the newly laid track to their advantage but if Afridi led the team calmly it will be tough for SriLanka to beat Pakistan team.
What Afridi should realize is that tough matches in the initial round develop or destroy the confidence of the teams, regardless of the result Afridi will have to show calmness as a leader and should continue to encourage his players through thick and thin , he will have to make his players believe that they are the best.
Pakistan (probable): 1 Mohammad Hafeez, 2 Ahmed Shehzad, 3 Kamran Akmal (wk), 4 Younis Khan, 5 Misbah-ul-Haq, 6 Umar Akmal, 7 Shahid Afridi (capt), 8 Abdul Razzaq, 9 Umar Gul, 10 Abdur Rehman, 11 Shoaib Akhtar
Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 2 Upul Tharanga, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (capt & wk), 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Chamara Kapugedera, 6 Thilan Samaraweera, 7 Angelo Mathews, 8 Thisara Perera, 9 Nuwan Kulasekara, 10 Ajantha Mendis, 11 Muttiah Muralitharan
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