Daijiworld Media Network

Colombo, Jul 19 : Hello and welcome to the third ODI between Sri Lanka and Pakistan. The series currently stands at 1-1 and the winner of the game today will definitely have a better chance of winning the series. Pakistan though have other agendas on their mind. They need to win the series to qualify for the Champions Trophy and if they lose the game today, they will have to win the next two, otherwise West Indies will qualify at their expense.

Not to forget, Pakistan's woes have increased ever since Mohammad Hafeez got banned for bowling. He's currently facing a one-year ban and can only play as a batsman. One can understand why Pakistan will miss him as a bowler, considering that he took 6 wickets in the first two ODIs. Pakistan were forced to bring in Imad Wasim to compensate for the loss of Hafeez, the bowler.

The last ODI saw so many ups and downs. First, fifties from Ali, Malik and Rizwan helped Pakistan post 287 on the board. After Kusal Perera played a magnificent knock at the start of the innings, Sri Lanka lost a heap of wickets in the middle and were struggling at 196/6 at one stage. However, the lower-order, left by Dinesh Chandimal, kept their calm and Sri Lanka went on to win the game by 2 wickets.

Pakistan have won the toss and have opted to bat

Mathews: 'I was looking to bat first as well. It should do something with the new ball and hopefully, we will restrict them to a chaseable target, somewhere around 250-260. We are unchanged for this game. We can't fix our problems in a couple of days, but hopefully the guys will be up for the challenge today.'

Ali: 'We are going to bat first. The wicket looks good. If we bat well, we should try and put on a good score as the pitch looks good. Imad Wasim comes in place of Babar Azam. We want to continue how we are playing.'

Teams:

Pakistan (Playing XI): Azhar Ali(c), Ahmed Shehzad, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Rizwan, Sarfraz Ahmed(w), Imad Wasim, Anwar Ali, Yasir Shah, Rahat Ali, Mohammad Irfan

Sri Lanka (Playing XI): Kusal Perera, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Upul Tharanga, Angelo Mathews(c), Lahiru Thirimanne, Dinesh Chandimal(w), Milinda Siriwardana, Sachith Pathirana, Thisara Perera, Lasith Malinga, Nuwan Pradeep
Weather Report: There's some rain expected later in the day, but hopefully, it will stay away and we'll get a full game in.

Match Preview:

A buoyant Sri Lanka head to the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo for the third ODI having levelled the series with a tense two-wicket win in Pallekele. In series that is tied 1-1, a victory in the third ODI puts significant pressure on the losing team, who then will have to win the two in two to clinch the series, something Pakistan desperately need to boost their chances of qualifying for the Champions Trophy. Pakistan are ranked No.9 in the ICC ODI rankings with only the top-eight teams eligible for participation in the multi-team team.

Pakistan's woes have been compounded by the bowling ban imposed on Mohammad Hafeez. The 34-year all-rounder picked up six wickets in the first two ODIs and has been Azhar Ali's go-to man in the middle overs. Yasir Shah, after his Test series exploits, has had a quiet couple of games and will have to shoulder more responsibility in the absence of his spin partners. Pakistan allowed Sri Lanka to claw back into the Test series before eventually sealing the series win. A victory on Sunday will put them in pole position to clinch another.

Date: July 19, 2015

Venue: R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo

Time: 14:30 IST

Weather: Mostly Cloudy with a 57% chance of a thuderstorm around 5 PM

Team News:

Sri Lanka

The hosts have been well-served by Kusal Perera's belligerence at the top of the order but the middle-order's performance in the two games has been patchy. Thirimanne, Tharanga and Mathews are highly experienced and will need to step up and be counted. Dinesh Chandimal, though, has been consistent batting at No.6 and marshalled the lower-order well in Pallekele. Sachith Pathirana was expensive in his debut but added valuable runs low down the order and should keep his place in the eleven. The fielding, however, as Mathews bemoaned after the game has been 'terrible' and needs immediate addressal.

Probable XI:

Kusal Perera, Tilakaratne Dilshan, Lahiru Thirimanne, Upul Tharanga, Angelo Mathews (c), Dinesh Chandimal (wk), Thisara Perera, Milinda Siriwardana, Sachith Pathirana, Nuwan Pradeep, Lasith Malinga

Pakistan

Pakistan's bowlers did very well in Pallekele to pull things back after the Kusal blitz but how the unit will deal with the absence of Hafeez's suspension will determine how Pakistan shape up in Colombo on a track that has been tipped to assist strokeplay. The batting sports a fairly settled look to it with Mohammad Rizwan at No. 6 showing adequate potential in his quickfire half-century. The management could consider bringing in young Mukhtar Ahmed for a role in the top-order. The 22-year old impressed in the T20Is against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe and has been tipped for success in the 50-over format.

Stats and Trivia:

- Kusal Perera's 17-ball fifty put him on second place in ODIs behind AB de Villiers' 16 ball effort and level with mentor Sanath Jayasuriya

- Pakistan hold an 82-57 head to head advantage over Sri Lanka in ODIs

Quotes:

'We are on the right path. It's just that as I always say, we don't have Sangakkara and Mahela, that experience to deal with the pressure. But the boys are handling it pretty well'

- Angelo Mathews on his team's ability to handle pressure in close games.

'The series is open and I am confident we will do well in the next game'

- Azhar Ali put the loss in the second ODI as a one-off and was confident of a strong showing in Colombo