Overview
Pakistan will take on Sri Lanka in the first match of the five-match ODI series tomorrow in Dubai. It is going to be a clear day and we will get a full game.
The conditions will be batting friendly as we have already seen in the past at these grounds. Both teams have called in their ODI specialists. While Pakistan will be without Azhar Ali, the visitors won't have the services of Lasith Malinga and Angelo Mathews.
Pakistan has a better all-round team as compared to Sri Lanka, owing to which they won the Champions Trophy in England. Sri Lanka will be glad to have the services of Upul Tharanga and Akila Dhananjaya, who was outstanding in the ODIs against India.
We feel Pakistan will start as the favorites and we also think their middle order has to be amongst the runs to put pressure on Lanka. On the other hand, the Lankan bowlers might also struggle in oppressive conditions. For this round of fantasy cricket, we would advice you to pick a strong batting line-up, plus all-rounders.
Probable 11
PAK- Shehzad, Zaman, Babar, Hafeez, Malik, Imad, Sarfraz, Hasan/Raees, Junaid, Shadab, Ashraf/Usman
SL- Dickwella, Tharanga, Mendis, Thirimanne, Chandimal, Siriwardena, Thissara, Lakmal, Akila, V Fernando/N Pradeep, Vandersey
Important players for the game
Hafeez- This veteran all-rounder will have enough role with both bat & ball. He has the experience of playing in these conditions before.
Zaman- This southpaw will open the innings and we all know what he can do in the powerplay.
Junaid- After the withdrawal of Amir, he is likely to lead the attack. Has the ability to strike with both new and old ball.
Tharanga- He could open the batting and has a decent record in this format. In fact, he is someone who can steer Lanka to victory.
TFG Team
Cap & vice cap logic
We feel Dickwella will open the innings and should be dangerous in the powerplay. He will also keep wickets. He can get quick runs and we are comfortable with him as our vice-cap. Babar Azam might have gone through a lean Test series, but look at his numbers in the ODIs. We feel he will make it count tomorrow.
Happy Hunting!!!
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(Disclaimer: The TFG Fantasy Pundit 11 has been picked after taking into consideration various factors and analysis. The writers and editors of The Fan Garage are not responsible for any decisions taken by readers of this article while playing any fantasy league game. This article has been written with the sole purpose of providing a direction to choosing a good Fantasy team for the match mentioned in the article.)