SL vs PAK Preview: Sri Lanka-Pakistan play in the final before the final

Sri Lanka and Pakistan will battle it out in the final game of the Super 4 in a dress rehearsal of the final that will be played on Sunday (Sep 11).  Both teams have been on a stellar run in the tournament and a win here might just give them the confidence needed ahead of the title match.

Pakistan won a last-over thriller against Afghanistan and were able to recover from almost losing the game. They did suffer a batting collapse, which they need to be wary about. Shadab Khan seemed to be struggling in the previous game and that will be a major concern given the all-round skills he brings into the game.

On the other hand, Sri Lanka have not put a wrong foot in the pedal so far after their loss to Afghanistan in the opening encounter and have played with a lot of freedom since that. Their strategy to attack the bowlers from the word go has proved to be fruitful and a similar performance might just be the boost needed for them with the finals coming up.

Weather Conditions and Pitch behaviour

The Dubai International Stadium has been a belter to bat on in the second innings especially, and hardly have teams batting first won games at the venue so far. The skipper winning the toss will be looking to bowl first and chase down.

Current form (Last 5 games)

Sri Lanka – W, W, W, L, W

Pakistan – W, W, W, L, W

Venue Details – Dubai International Stadium

Last Game at the venue – IND – 173/8, SL -174/4 (19.5 overs)

Playing Combinations

Sri Lanka

Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (wk), Charith Asalanka, Danushka Gunathilaka, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Dasun Shanaka (c), Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne, Maheesh Theekshana, Asitha Fernando, Dilshan Madushanka

Pakistan

Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Babar Azam (c), Fakhar Zaman, Khushdil Shah, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Asif Ali, Mohammad Nawaz, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah