Tag: Sri Lanka

Match #11: Pakistan v Sri Lanka Prediction.

How This Works!

This post is set to go before each match. I briefly breakdown the batting and bowling attack of each squad and how they relate to each other before selecting who I think is going to win. Because cricket can be won by a number of wickets (if you’re chasing) or runs (if you’re defending), I’m simply going to select who I think is going to win outright, not in the manner, or by how many runs, they’re going to win by. Makes sense? (Quickly moves on before acknowledging any questions) Great! Let’s get started!

Bowling:

Pakistan Bowlers/All Rounders: Hasan Ali, Mohammad Hasnain, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Wahab Riaz, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Hafeez, Shadab Khan

Sri Lanka Bowlers/All Rounders: Jeffrey Vandersay, Lasith Malinga, Suranga Lakmal, Nuwan Pradeep, Angelo Matthews, Dhananjaya de Silva, Thisara Perara, Isuru Udana, Jeevan Mendis, Milinda Siriwardana

ICC Ranking Average: (Measured by taking the top 5 bowlers in ICC’s player ratings. Those 5 rankings are then averaged out. The lower the number, the better. If a player is marked out, Dale Steyn in this case, they are not included in the ranking, as they are not effecting the match.)

Pakistan

  • Mohammad Amir: 27th
  • Hasan Ali: 28th
  • Shadab Khan: 29th
  • Imad Wasim: 30th
  • Shaheen Afridi: 55th
  • Avg: 33rd

Sri Lanka

  • Suranga Lakmal: 42nd
  • Lasith Malinga: 47th
  • Nuwan Pradeep: 61st
  • Angelo Matthews: 77th
  • Thisara Perara: 79th
  • Avg: 61st

Breakdown: Which Pakistan team is going to show up? The one that made the West Indies look like the greatest cricket team of all time, or the squad that upset England? The silver lining for Sri Lanka, is that it was their bowling attack that led them to victory over Afghanistan. Gosh that was an ugly match 🤢

Advantage: Pakistan. As much winning momentum Sri Lanka’s bowling attack has, Pakistan has that x100. They’re also more talented, which is important.

Batters:

Pakistan Batters/All Rounders: Sarfaraz Ahmed © (WK), Asif Ali, Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Sohail, Imam ul Haq, Shoaib Malik, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Hafeez, Shadab Khan

Sri Lanka Batters/All Rounders: Dimuth Karunaratne, Avishka Fernando, Lahiru Thirimanne, Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Matthews, Dhananjaya de Silva, Thisara Perara, Isuru Udana, Jeevan Mendis, Milinda Siriwardana

ICC Ranking Average: (See rules for bowlers above and replace that with batters. You got it!)

Pakistan

  • Babar Azam: 8th
  • Fakhar Zaman: 10th
  • Imam-ul-Haq: 15th
  • Mohammad Hafeez: 44th
  • Sarfaraz Ahmed: 51st
  • Avg: 25th

Sri Lanka

  • Angelo Matthews: 40
  • Kusal Mendis: 57
  • Kusal Perera: 72
  • Thisara Perera: 74
  • Lahiru Thirimanne: 84
  • Avg: 65th

Breakdown: I mean, it can’t really go worse for Sri Lanka, can it? Folks, I have some potentially bad news.

Advantage: Pakistan. Here are Sri Lanka’s batting performances from the first and second match. That’s a lot of single digit efforts.

A final bold and likely dumb take:

No Sri Lankan player will go for 0 runs. Hey, that’s saying a lot so far this tournament!!

Final Prediction: Pakistan in an uneventful and fairly easy match.

Match #7: Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka Prediction

How This Works!

This post is set to go before each match. I briefly breakdown the batting and bowling attack of each squad and how they relate to each other before selecting who I think is going to win. Because cricket can be won by a number of wickets (if you’re chasing) or runs (if you’re defending), I’m simply going to select who I think is going to win outright, not in the manner, or by how many runs, they’re going to win by. Makes sense? (Quickly moves on before acknowledging any questions) Great! Let’s get started!

Bowling:

Afghanistan Bowlers/All Rounders: Gulbadin Naib ©, Aftab Alam, Dawlat Zadran, Hamid Hassan, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Najibullah Zadran, Rashid Khan , Mohammad Nabi, Rahmat Shah, Samiullah Shinwari

Sri Lanka Bowlers/All Rounders: Jeffrey Vandersay, Lasith Malinga, Suranga Lakmal, Nuwan Pradeep, Angelo Matthews, Dhananjaya de Silva, Thisara Perara, Isuru Udana, Jeevan Mendis, Milinda Siriwardana

ICC Ranking Average: (Measured by taking the top 5 bowlers in ICC’s player ratings. Those 5 rankings are then averaged out. The lower the number, the better. If a player is marked out, Dale Steyn in this case, they are not included in the ranking, as they are not effecting the match.)

Afghanistan

  • Rashid Khan: 3
  • Mujeeb ur Rahmen: 10
  • Mohammad Nabi: 20
  • Dawlet Zadran: 55
  • Gulbadin Naib: 58
  • Avg: 29

Sri Lanka

  • Suranga Lakmal: 42
  • Lasith Malinga: 47
  • Nuwan Pradeep: 61
  • Angelo Matthews: 77
  • Thisara Perara: 79
  • Avg: 61

Breakdown: Not looking great for Sri Lanka 😬. Coming off a match against New Zealand where they failed to get a wicket, it’s not surprising that their bowling attack is ranked poorly. All things considered, even without the poor showing against a talented NZ batting duo, Afghanistan was always the choice here. Their spin attack is effective and sometimes lethal after a fairly strong performance against Australia, all things considered.

Advantage: Afghanistan. By quite a bit.

Batting:

Afghanistan Batters/All Rounders: Asghar Afghan, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Hazratullah Zazai, Mohammad Shahzad, Noor ali Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Rahmat Shah, Samiullah Shinwari

Sri Lanka Batters/All Rounders: Dimuth Karunaratne, Avishka Fernando, Lahiru Thirimanne, Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Matthews, Dhananjaya de Silva, Thisara Perara, Isuru Udana, Jeevan Mendis, Milinda Siriwardana

ICC Ranking Average: (See rules for bowlers above and replace that with batters. You got it!)

Afghanistan

  • Mohammad Shahzad: 38
  • Rahmat Shah: 40
  • Mohammad Nabi: 55
  • Najibullah Zadran: 68
  • Hashmatullah Shahidi: 80
  • Avg: 56

Sri Lanka

  • Angelo Matthews: 40
  • Kusal Mendis: 57
  • Kusal Perera: 72
  • Thisara Perera: 74
  • Lahiru Thirimanne: 84
  • Avg: 65

Breakdown: Honestly, not a great look for either side. Coming into the tournament it was known that Afghanistan would lean heavily on their bowling attack, and here’s why. Sri Lanka’s recent form speaks for itself.

Advantage: Afghanistan. Simply because they’re going up against a weaker bowling attack. This game is one of those that may be incredibly entertaining because both teams are struggling and need a big win. They both have a lot to prove.

A final bold and likely dumb take:

Rashid Khan takes 5 wickets and becomes the leading wicket taker of the tournament for a short time.

Final Prediction: Afghanistan in a surprisingly entertaining match.

Sri Lanka Roster Breakdown

Expectations are low entering the tournament. Will this squad overcome those predictions?

Batters/Fielders: Dimuth Karunaratne, Avishka Fernando, Lahiru Thirimanne, Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis

Bowlers: Jeffrey Vandersay, Lasith Malinga, Suranga Lakmal, Nuwan Pradeep

All Rounders: Angelo Matthews, Dhananjaya de Silva, Thisara Perara, Isuru Udana, Jeevan Mendis, Milinda Siriwardana

Don’t Sleep On

–Kusal Mendis: I expect a huge tournament for Mendis, who’s done nothing but quickly scale the Sri Lankan cricket ranks. With an ODI average of 28, there’s plenty of room for growth for the 24-year-old. He’s capable of high scores, as shown by his 102 against Bangladesh in 2017.

–Thisara Perara: A team with multiple all-rounders are sure to lean heavily on the experienced Perara. With a high bowling mark of 6/44, Perara is capable of taking wickets. How well he can control the run letting is something to watch.

–Avishka Fernando: Another young gun to look out for. While Kusal Mendis is the crown jewel of the future, Fernando made a huge splash making the roster as 21 years old and his 72 against Scotland shows great potential.

Needed to Make a Run

– Lasith Malinga: The old gun in his final run on the biggest stage. Malinga had a solid IPL with key wickets in an exciting final over in the championship match.

–Dimuth Karunaratne: Taking over as a new captain immediately before the biggest tournament in your sport can’t be an easy thing. How can Karunaratne hold up to that pressure?

Key to the Cup

– Angelo Matthews: The former captain. Averaging 42 runs at a strike rate of 80.73 makes Matthews one of Sri Lanka’s most explosive batters. If they’re going to make a surprise run deep into this tournament, his runs are greatly needed.

Why Should I Watch?

Sri Lanka is a proud cricket nation playing with little expectation. That’s a scary combination! This team mixes experience with youth, providing some wild card potential.

How Fun is This Team? (5/10)

Their form heading into the tournament leaves a great amount to be desired. They aren’t very flashy, aside from Malinga and his bowling theatrics.

Best Case:

A winning record in group play. I don’t see this team making much of a push towards the semi-finals. Finishing with a .500 record, or close to it, will be a successful tournament.  

Worst Case:

Zero wins. Which, unfortunately, isn’t too far out of the question. Sri Lanka is the underdog in every match expect possibly Afghanistan. Not that matches are played on paper, but that doesn’t bode well for them.