Pakistan v Sri Lanka | 2nd ODI | Thursday, 13th November | Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi | 11:30am
Thursday’s encounter, also at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, will be the second match of the series.
Pakistan have now won four of their last five ODIs against Sri Lanka. Tuesday’s win also saw them leapfrog Sri Lanka in the ICC ODI rankings, with Pakistan climbing to fourth and Sri Lanka slipping to fifth.
Pakistan form and key players
Pakistan captain Babar Azam, ranked fifth among ODI batsmen, remains his team’s most accomplished player, though he is still searching for his first ODI hundred in 33 innings.
Opener Salman Agha is in superb form, amassing 271 runs in his last five ODI innings at an average of 90.33. His unbeaten 105 in the first ODI earned him the Player of the Match award.
Recent form:
Pakistan: W, W, L, W, L
Sri Lanka: L, W, W, W, L
Players to watch:
Pakistan – Haris Rauf
The experienced paceman was underused against South Africa, bowling just three wicketless overs in his only appearance. But he bounced back against Sri Lanka, delivering a match-turning spell of 4/61 in the first ODI. Rauf broke an 85-run opening stand between Pathum Nissanka and Kamil Mishara, then struck twice more in quick succession to shift the momentum decisively.
While his overall ODI average stands at 26.68, his record against Sri Lanka is even stronger 18.2 suggesting he could be a key weapon again.
Sri Lanka – Kamil Mishara
The young opener made an assured ODI debut on Tuesday, scoring 38 in a composed 85-run opening partnership. Though short of a big score, Mishara’s technique and temperament stood out. With List A and First-Class averages above 40, he looks a genuine long-term prospect for Sri Lanka and could build on his promising start in this match.
Verdict: Sri Lanka to level the series
Sri Lanka came agonisingly close in the opener, collapsing only after losing three wickets in five balls. Still, a spirited late fightback from Wanindu Hasaranga (59 off 52) and Maheesh Theekshana (21 off 18) showed their resilience.
They’ll take confidence from pushing Pakistan to the brink, and with lessons learned from that narrow defeat, they look well placed to square the series on Thursday.