Pakistan v Sri Lanka – Only T20 – Match Preview
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Imtiaz-Sheikh-c64290 Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi, November 25, 2011.
A change in format might lead to a change in fortunes for the Lankan outfit, which have simply been demoralised over the course of a month long tour in the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/United-Arab-Emirates-c3033. A string of poor results and loss of form to key players have hindered their
progress since finishing behind http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750 in the World Cup 2011.
The blame of their dismal showings has been largely associated with the underperformance of their skipper, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/TM-Dilshan-c2691, who has been in a surprisingly lengthy barren run with the bat. In 8 Test matches since the World Cup, Dilshan has scored a solitary
century and has averaged 37.57, which is below his career average of more than 40.
His form in the 50-over game is even more appalling where he has managed just 279 runs in 16 matches at 17.43. The only T20 will give him a final chance to contribute something of note, as his only century came in this format, where he powered his away to
104 not out against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746 at home.
His charges haven’t helped him one bit, falling apart despite being in pole positions. He will need to ensure that the team is motivated to make the last push and get some confidence before going back home and gearing for the next challenge, which sees them
tour http://www.senore.com/Cricket/South-Africa-c757.
Their record in the T20 version has been good in recent times and with World CupT20 2012 being staged at their home, they will be looking to ensure that they embrace the version with little more significance.
The injury to http://www.senore.com/Cricket/LD-Chandimal-c1831 looks set to partner the skipper upfront.
The injury news for the Men In Green also looks bleak with all-rounder http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Bangladesh-c747 has also been hindered due to this.
However, under skipper, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Umar-Gul-c94604 has been their main weapon.
Despite being ranked no 7th in the official http://www.senore.com/Cricket/ICC-World-Cup-2011-c100625 T20 ranking, the version has delivered a lot of success for the Men In Green, where they have emerged victorious two years back. Also the style of most of their batsmen suits the shorter version
and they will again look to put on a good show.
The only player yet to hit form is all-rounder, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Shoaib-Malik-c90088. Having given the chance in the final two games, the player missed out making a total of 2 runs from both his outings. A more aggressive approach might suit the player and the format will offer
him a chance to get some runs under his belt.
The pitch at Abu Dhabi offered a lot of pace and bounce which was exploited by the Pakistani pacers. Winning or losing the toss won’t make much difference, as the crowd looks set to make most of the final clash between two sub-continent giants.
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