Pakistan and Sri Lanka clash in Asia Cup 2014 opener

The Asia Cup 2014 kicks off on Tuesday, Feb 25, 2014 with defending champions Pakistan taking on Sri Lanka at the Khan Shaheb Osman Ali Stadium in Fatullah.

The 1st Match of Asia Cup 2014 between Pakistan and Sri Lanka will be shown live on Star Sports (in India), PTV Sports (in Pakistan) and on MTV Sports, CSN Channels (in Sri Lanka).

In India, one can watch the match on Star Cricket and Neo Prime Channels. Live Steaming of the match can be watched at the official website of Star Sports.

Sri Lanka fresh from a Series win:

Sri Lanka are fresh from their 3-0 cleansweep over hosts Bangladesh in a short ODI Series that concluded a couple of days back. The last series on the other hand for Pakistan was against Sri Lanka in the UAE in December and January. So there could be some rustiness in the Pakistani camp.

Both Pakistan and Sri Lanka are evenly matched without any doubts. The superior bowling of the Pakistanis could give them an edge but their batting can be quite unpredictable. In the last ODI Series played between the two teams, Pakistan defeated Sri Lanka with a 3-2 margin.

Sri Lanka will be boosted by the return of Mahela Jayawardene who had missed the Bangladesh Series. The Lankans will not be having dashing opener Tillakaratne Dilshan though because of a hand injury.

Sri Lanka will be banking on the form of Kusal Perera and Kumar Sangakkara with the duo fresh from their centuries in the ODI Series against Bangladesh. Follow the live scores here.

Pakistan’s bowling attack very dangerous:

The Lankan bowling doesn’t look that threatening on paper. Lasith Malinga seems to be their only game changer against stronger teams like Pakistan and India.

Pakistan on the other hand has match-winning bowlers like Junaid Khan, Saeed Ajmal, Umar Gul and Shahid Afridi. Their batting will rely on the consistency of Skipper Misbah-ul-Haq. Mohammad Hafeez will be the key all-rounder while Umar Akmal is the dynamic finisher.

The Pak Vs SL Asia Cup match begins at 2:00 p.m. local time in Bangladesh which is 8:00 GMT and 13:30 IST. Check this post for the highlights of the match which will be uploaded shortly.

Sri Lanka fresh from a Series win:

Pakistan’s bowling attack very dangerous:

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