Pakistan will take on Sri Lanka in their one and only qualifying game at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Sunday, ahead of the start of the main stage of the ICC World T20 2016. Pakistan's first warm up game against Bengal was cancelled as their team arrived late in the city.
After a lot of pandemonium, Shahid Afridi & co. are finally here in India to participate in the ICC World T20 2016.
[Get the live score and updates of Pakistan vs Sri Lanka HERE]
Their participation in the big-ticket event was made sure by the Pakistan government a couple of days ago when it finally agreed to send the team to India.
Pakistan are coming into this tournament after a disappointing campaign in the recently concluded Asia Cup T20 2016. They were knocked out of the tournament by hosts Bangladesh.
Pakistan have not fared well in the shortest format of the game in recent times but they have something positive to look forward to and that is their seam attack.
Mohammad Amir has bowled brilliantly ever since he has returned to international cricket. Mohammad Irfan, Wahab Riaz and others have bowled decently as well.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka have had a terrible run of form in the shortest format of the game. They lost to New Zealand at their backyard, then lost to India in February and in the recently concluded Asia Cup, they could only win one match against the UAE.
Post these trouble times, Sri Lanka Cricket sacked the national selectors and brought in the likes of Aravinda de Silva and Kumar Sangakkara in the selection panel. Lasith Malinga has made way for Angelo Mathews to lead the charge. This was the first imminent change in the lineup.
Sri Lanka will be aware of these conditions well as they are similar to that of their own island. The ball going to grip and turn and the slowness of the pitch should not bother the Lankan batsmen.
They should keep in mind that Sri Lanka are the defending champions of the ICC World T20 2014. Angelo Mathews & co. will have to rev up their game in order to even expect some positive result from this big-ticket event.
This warm up fixture will be crucial for both sides as Sri Lanka will look to get back to winning ways and Pakistan will want to start of their ICC World T20 campaign on a high.
An exciting encounter is on the cards!
ICC World T20 2016 warmup match: Pakistan vs Sri Lanka schedule:
Date: Monday, March 14.
Time: 3 p.m. IST (2:30 p.m. PST, 9:30 a.m. GMT, 5:30 a.m. ET).
Venue: Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
