U-19 WC: Pakistan take on SL in do-or-die battle today

WAHNGAREI: With one win each in their Under-19 campaign thus far, Pakistan and Sri Lanka face off in the winners-take-all contest in Group D on Friday.

Pakistan lost to their recent arch nemesis, Afghanistan, by five wickets in their tournament opener before bouncing back strongly with a nine-wicket thumping of Ireland to massively improve their NRR and claim the second spot in the points table. Likewise, Sri Lanka beat Ireland and lost to Afghanistan, who now sit on top of four-team pile and are guaranteed a quarters spot.

A lot is riding on the shoulders of young Hasan Khan - an all-rounder who has made significant contributions both with bat and ball. The Pakistan skipper has 50 runs and five wickets to his credit thus far. Shaheen Afridi, though was star of Pakistan’s comeback win. At 6’5”, the younger brother of former Pakistan Test cricketer Riaz Afridi, Shaheen gave a glimpse of just why he has been labelled Pakistan’s Mitchell Starc in a stunning bowling display where he returned figures of 6 for 15 in 8.5 overs he bowled. While bowling looks in shape, the management would demand a better show from their mainstream batsmen who surrendered against Afghanistan rather meekly.

Similarly, Sri Lanka too have been led by their all-rounder captain Kamindu Mendis who has proved a vital cog in both the batting and bowling departments. Opener Dhananjaya Lakshan has a century to his credit but none of the other top-order batsmen have been able to convert their starts.

The bowlers too have proved a tad expensive for Sri Lanka. With a quarterfinal spot on stake, the team that makes fewer mistakes on the day would keep their campaign alive.Teams: Pakistan: Mohsin Khan, M Zaid Alam, Rohail Nazir, M Taha, Ali Zaryab , Saad Khan, Hasan Khan (c), M Musa, Shaheen Afridi, Munir Riaz, Suleman Shafqat, Ammad Alam, Arshad Iqbal, Imran Shah, M Ali Khan.

Sri Lanka: Kamindu Mendis (c), Jehan Daniel, Hasitha Boyagoda, Thisaru Rashmika, Krishan Arachchige, Kalana Perera, Dhananjaya Lakshan, Praveen Jayawickrama, Nuwanidu Fernando, Ashen Bandara, Nipun Malinga, Nipun Dananjaya, Nishan Madushka, Hareen Buddhila, Santhush Gunathilaka

Australia vs PNG: This might seem like a mismatch but there is plenty at stake for Australia who would seek a big win against the minnows PNG to ensure a smooth passage to the quarters. With one win and one loss thus far, Australia need to lift their NRR well above Zimbabwe to counter bleak possibility of them beating India in their final group game. After being dumped by India by 100 runs in their tournament opener, Australia came back stronger and better against Zimbabwe to pick up their first win, by seven wickets. However, the batting leaves a lot to be desired. The bowlers were taken to the cleaners by the Indians, but did well to restrict Zimbabwe to a meagre 134.