Pakistan eye T20 crown to cap successful SL tour

KARACHI: Pakistan won the Test series under Misbah-ul-Haq and tamed Sri Lanka in the One-day International contest with Azhar Ali at the helm.
Now it is Shahid Afridi’s turn to make it three in a row for the tourists, who will be looking to wrap up a 2-0 clean sweep by winning the second and final Twenty20 International against the hosts in Colombo on Saturday (today).
This tour is already Pakistan’s most fruitful trip to Sri Lanka since 2006 and now they have a shot at sweeping the trophies. Pakistan were always likely to fare well against the younger Sri Lanka players, but it is their dominance of Sri Lanka’s big names that has defined the tour.
Pakistan’s T20 captain Afridi now arrives at the final skirmish with a batting order in excellent touch, a bowling unit churning out wickets, and by a distance the better fielding side in the series. Add to this Sri Lanka’s woeful T20 record at Khettarama, where they have lost seven matches out of eight, and Pakistan appear clear favourites so far as such labels are valid in matches featuring these two teams.
Sri Lanka’s opening combination seems to be where much of their hope for an upset lies. If Kusal Perera fires as he did at Pallekele and Hambantota, Sri Lanka are capable of mounting a large total. The lower middle order has been consistently strong in the limited-overs matches as well, and now seems to have been bolstered by the return of Chamara Kapugedara, who on Thursday provided glimpses of the player Sri Lanka wanted him to become for so many years.
Their bowling is less sure. As brutally honest as Malinga has been about his own form over the past weeks, it seems unlikely that 48 hours will be long enough for him to rekindle his old fire. Thisara Perera turned in an improved display with the ball on Thursday, but he is quite a distance from his best as well.
The hosts are intent on discovering hidden gems from the domestic system and right now Milinda Siriwardene looks a likely bet to twinkle brightly, provided he gets a bit of Sri Lankan spit shine and elbow grease. His unbeaten 52 off 26 balls at Hambantota helped turn a good one-day score into a giant one, and his intelligent clean-hitting in the first T20 put him firmly in contention for a World T20 berth. What is particularly promising about him is that he is not just a player of flashy strokes. He also topped the first-class run-scorer’s list in the most recent season.
Shoaib Malik’s canny finishing has been vital for Pakistan right throughout the limited-overs series, and arguably, his best knock of the tour was the unbeaten 46 on Thursday. While Umar Akmal bludgeoned the bowling around him, Malik calmly collected runs into the outfield, and ensured he was there to assist Afridi in the final over. Another good performance would cap a rich series.
Malinga has suggested Sri Lanka are unlikely to change much about their XI, meaning rookie legspinner Jeffrey Vandersay is likely to get another outing. Binura Fernando’s place in the side might not be so secure, however. There is a chance Sri Lanka will play Nuwan Kulasekara in his stead. Pakistan are likely to play the same XI.
The pitch will be similar to that used for the first T20. Scattered showers have been forecast for the evening.