Confident Sri Lanka face injury-hit Pakistan in virtual semifinal today (14)

Back in the 2022 edition of the Asia Cup, which was played in the T20 format, it was Pakistan and Sri Lanka who combined to knock India out of contention for a spot in the final. Fast forward to 2023 and it’s the same two sides who will now face off in a virtual semifinal for a berth in the summit clash to play against the Rohit Sharma-led team. Sri Lanka, whose 13-match winning streak was snapped by India, look a lot more settled compared to Pakistan who have been hit by a spate of injuries.

While all the other sides who are in the Super 4 stage have posted a 300-plus total at least once in this competition, Sri Lanka are the only team to have not done so. But with so much variety in their bowling attack, they have managed to tie down the other teams and have now bowled out oppositions for 14 games in a row. Be it batting or bowling, different players have put their hands up and come to Sri Lanka’s aid, with Dunith Wellalage being the latest in the list – although his brilliant all-round performance against India went in vain.

Pakistan, meanwhile, have been hamstrung by injuries to their key pacers Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah, who are being monitored by their medical staff but may not play a further role in this Asia Cup. Shaheen Afridi too injured his finger but it didn’t seem to be a major worry as he came out to bat against India. He will now have to play a key role with the ball and hit the straps straightaway if Pakistan are to gain a position of strength. Pakistan’s batting was a let-down in their previous game as they were bundled out for 128 to lose by a mammoth 228-run margin. Babar Azam will look to lead by example but he will expect some support from the rest of the top order which has blown hot and cold.