Pakistan’s batting stable after two forced changes

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan captain Babar Azam has made a total of seven (five yesterday and two today) changes to his side for the crucial Asia Cup Super 4 match against Sri Lanka in Colombo. The match is a virtual semifinal, as the winner will advance to the final against India on Sunday.

Azam said he wanted to give opportunities to some of the young players in the squad, who have not had much exposure in international cricket. He also said he had to make two more changes due to injuries and illness.

The five changes that were announced on Wednesday were:

Fast bowler Haris Rauf was ruled out with an ankle injury and replaced by debutant Zaman Khan, who is his team mate in Lahore Qalandars in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). Haris Rauf also presented the ODI cap to the debutant.

All-rounder Faheem Ashraf was dropped and replaced by Mohammad Nawaz, who offers a left-arm spin option.

The two changes that were announced on Thursday were:

Opener Imam-ul-Haq suffered a back spasm and was replaced by Fakhar Zaman

Middle-order batsman Saud Shakeel was down with fever and was replaced by Abdullah Shafique, who is representing Pakistan in 4^th ODI.

Pakistan announces squad for crucial Super 4 match against Sri Lanka

The changes mean that Pakistan have a new opening pair, and two new fast bowlers in their playing XI.

However, Azam said he was confident that the new players would perform well and help Pakistan reach the final. He said he had faith in their talent and potential, and hoped they would seize the opportunity.

Pakistan will need to improve their batting, bowling and fielding if they want to challenge Sri Lanka, who have been impressive in the tournament so far. They have won three out of four matches, including a thrilling two-run victory over Afghanistan on Tuesday.

The match is expected to be a high-scoring affair, as the pitch at R Premadasa Stadium has been favourable for batsmen. The average first-innings score at this venue in ODIs is 245.

Web Desk