Pakistan vs. Sri Lanka, Asia Cup: Date, Time, Live Stream, TV Info, Preview

The Twenty20 match between Pakistan and Sri Lanka on Friday is nothing more than a friendly since neither side can still qualify for the final of the Asia Cup.

Date: Friday, 4 March

Time: 7:30 p.m. local (1:30 p.m. GMT)

Venue: Shere Bangla National Stadium; Mirpur, Bangladesh

Live Stream and TV Info: Fox Sports (Australia), DD National/Star Sports (India), GEO Super/PTV Sports (Pakistan), TNL TV (Sri Lanka), Star/Channel 9 (Bangladesh), Life OK (UK), Sky Sport (New Zealand), Yupptv.com (Live streaming service available in Europe).

Weather: According to AccuWeather.com, temperatures will creep up to around 35 degrees Celsius during the day and cool down to around 26 degrees in the evening. At the time of writing, no thunderstorm was forecast, but these things do change quickly this time of year.

Overview 

With just one win in three games, the Asia Cup has been something of a disappointment for both Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Both teams have been knocked out of the Asia Cup, and their meeting on Friday will be little more than a warm-up for the looming World T20.

That the fixture is a dead rubber might be disappointing in the context of the tournament, but it’s still important for the teams. Both sides have struggled to get their batting to click, and both have managed just one total of more than 130. Although each side have had spells where their bowlers have been impressive, they simply have not had totals big enough to defend.

Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews called for more patience. The fixture againt Pakistan, without pressure or expectation, might be their last chance to be patient. According to ESPN Cricinfo, Mathews said:

"

I am repeating myself every day. We have the team we have here; we are depending on a handful of seniors most of the time. If the seniors fail, we are in a spot of bother most of the time. Especially in a tournament like the Asia Cup and the World Cup you need a lot of seniors in the team. Unfortunately we haven't clicked. It will take a little time for the younger guys to start performing. We have to be patient, but this is not the right time to be patient.

"

Pakistan’s woes have been similar, according to former Pakistan player Javed Miandad, who even went so far to say Shahid Afridi does not deserve his spot in the side. He was quoted by cricket.com.au as saying: "Afridi's time in the team was over a few years back. How can you expect to win or improve your cricket when a player who stopped being a reliable performer some years ago is still playing in the national team? He is captain."

Both sides would benefit from a much-needed morale-boosting win, and considering how much both have struggled, this might be one of the most exciting fixtures of the tournament, even if its outcome has no real meaning.

Key players

Sri Lanka

Since not a single Sri Lankan batsman has managed to total up more than 100 runs in this tournament, the bowlers will have to dig in and do their bit. Nuwan Kulasekara has been one of Sri Lanka's better bowlers with six wickets at an average of 12.50. Against a Pakistan side equally inept at batting, Kulasekara should be able to run riot.

Pakistan

Shoaib Malik has been one of the more consistent players for Pakistan in this series. He has scored 108 runs at an average of 54.00—the most runs any of Pakistan's batsmen have managed on this tour. They will need stability and direction if they hope to get something positive out of this dead rubber, and Malik's experience should bring that.

Squads

Pakistan

Shahid Afridi (captain), Mohammad Hafeez, Anwar Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khurram Manzoor, Wahab Riaz, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Irfan, Mohammad Amir, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Nawaz, Sarfraz Ahmed, Umar Akmal, Mohammad Sami, Sharjeel Khan

Sri Lanka

Lasith Malinga (captain), Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal (wicketkeeper), Tillakaratne Dilshan, Niroshan Dickwella, Shehan Jayasuriya, Milinda Siriwardana, Dasun Shanaka, Chamara Kapugedera, Nuwan Kulasekara, Dushmantha Chameera, Thisara Perera, Sachithra Senanayake, Rangana Herath, Jeffrey Vandersay