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[Saba Sports News] Pakistan and Sri Lanka faced off in a crucial Super Four stage match of Asia Cup 2023 in Colombo. The winner would advance to face India on September 17.
Fakhar Zaman was initially dropped from the Pakistan team, but due to injuries to Saud Shakeel and Imam-ul-Haq, he got another chance. Unfortunately, his innings was cut short by a brilliant inswinging yorker from Pramod Madushan, and he scored only 4 runs from 11 deliveries. In the entire Asia Cup 2023, Fakhar had struggled, managing just 65 runs in four innings at an average of 16.25 and a low strike rate of 60.
Interestingly, Fakhar had a fantastic start to 2023, scoring three centuries against New Zealand and winning the ICC Player of the Month award for April. However, his recent form had been poor, with only 190 runs in his last 10 innings, averaging 19. This drop in form raised concerns for Pakistan, especially with the ODI World Cup approaching in three weeks.
Abdullah Shafique, Pakistan’s red-ball cricket opener, seized the opportunity against Sri Lanka by scoring his maiden half-century, making 52 off 69 balls. Despite a challenging pitch and a delayed start due to rain, Pakistan reached 130 runs for the loss of five wickets in the 28th over. They aimed to set a total exceeding 200 to pose a significant challenge to Sri Lanka.