Ramiz Raja analyzes upcoming ICC World Cup showdown between Pakistan and Sri Lanka
Asian giants face-off. Ramiz Raja's expert pre-match analysis for ICC World Cup
Transcript
00:00 Pakistan vs Sri Lanka is going to be a battle of Asian skills.
00:03 Now both teams are coming into this contest with certain variations of uncertainties.
00:08 Pakistan did win that contest against Netherlands,
00:11 but it wasn't such a wholesome performance because they got bowled out.
00:14 And Sri Lanka, we know, their bowling was mauled by South Africa,
00:19 and South Africa were just brilliant.
00:21 Now Pakistan need to fix a few things.
00:23 The opening slot, for example.
00:24 The top three did not function well against Netherlands.
00:28 Babur Azam, when he starts his innings against Spain, has got a few issues.
00:31 He's not a natural sweeper of the ball,
00:33 and so looked just a little bit hesitant in that innings against Netherlands as well.
00:38 The middle order looked good.
00:39 South Shaquille was a great addition.
00:40 He plays spin exceptionally well.
00:42 He's a neat player.
00:44 His game plan is based on safety,
00:46 and he can up the ante as well with a lot of good shots.
00:51 The all-rounders, the Pakistani all-rounders,
00:53 I'm talking of Nawaz and Shadab,
00:55 did do fabulously well under the circumstances.
00:58 They bowled well.
00:59 They batted well as a pair,
01:00 and so got Pakistan to that 280-plus.
01:03 Sri Lanka, on the other hand, have got bowling issues.
01:06 The batting did click.
01:07 Even in a losing course, they got over 300,
01:10 but the bowling came under heavy fire.
01:12 And so the likes of Patirana, who's exceptionally talented,
01:16 went for 90.
01:17 In a World Cup contest, he will be under pressure.
01:20 Sri Lanka obviously do not have the originals.
01:23 We're talking about Hasaranga and Chameera.
01:25 They're both out of this World Cup campaign.
01:28 So bowling will come under pressure.
01:30 Vellalaghe is pretty decent as a left-arm spinner,
01:34 but he went for plenty also.
01:35 So somebody really will have to talk a lot
01:38 to these two young kids,
01:40 and also make sure that against Pakistan,
01:43 in what appears to be batting-friendly conditions here
01:46 in Hyderabad,
01:48 they need to talk to these guys
01:51 so that they come good under pressure.
01:53 Pakistan obviously holds advantage,
01:56 just slight advantage,
01:56 because they've been here now for a good 10-12 days,
01:59 so they've acclimatized well.
02:01 They beat Netherlands in that first game.
02:02 So Pakistan entering this contest with a win,
02:05 whereas Sri Lanka will be entering this contest with a loss,
02:09 even though the batting looked pretty decent.
02:11 So a lot to look forward to,
02:13 and all to play for.