World Cup 2023 Match 8, PAK Vs SL | Who Will Win?

image-lnivyeq9Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka in action at the 2023 World Cup (AP)

Pakistan kicked-off their World Cup 2023 crusade with a confident 81-run win against the Netherlands on October 6. On the other hand, Sri Lanka lost their opening fixture to South Africa by 102 runs in a high-scoring Delhi evening the following day.

Having sustained contrasting starts to their World Cup campaigns, Pakistan and Sri Lanka will now go up against each other in match number eight of the competition on October 10.


Pakistan favourites to upstage a struggling Sri Lanka unit

Pakistan crumbled in front of India and Sri Lanka in successive games in last month’s 2023 Asia Cup. Under Babar Azam, the ‘Men in Green’ subsequently crashed out of the competition and eventually stood fourth behind finalists and number three Bangladesh. Pakistan’s World Cup 2023 confidence was further dented by twin defeats at the hands of New Zealand and Australia in their warm-up fixtures earlier this month.

However, Babar Azam and his troops roared back into form just in time by handing an 81-run larruping to the Netherlands in their World Cup 2023 opener in Hyderabad.

Having already acclimatised with the conditions at the city’s Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, the ‘Men in Green’ will back themselves to trounce their continental rivals at the same venue in their much-awaited World Cup 2023 shootout.

Despite Pakistan’s recent form and overall track record against Sri Lanka, one can never disregard the latter, especially under Dasun Shanaka’s determined leadership. Less than a month ago, back home, they stormed their way into the 2023 Asia Cup finals with impressive wins over Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Moreover, Sri Lanka also made a match out of a seemingly one-sided affair against South Africa in Delhi in their opening match of the tournament earlier this week. Chasing a colossal 429 against the Proteas, Shanaka and Kusal Mendis slapped sparkling half-centuries and lifted their side to a spirited 326.

Sri Lanka, yet to register a single win against Pakistan across all their seven ODI World Cup meetings, will also be determined to rectify their horrid World Cup record in the 2023 edition.