Following Story was posted prior to the beginning of 2nd ODI between Pakistan and Sri Lanka at Abu Dhabi on October 16, 2017.
With an unchanged side, Pakistan is willing to keep its dominance over Sri Lanka intact as both the sides are poised to meet again in second ODI at Abu Dhabi on Monday.
A complete contrast is being witnessed on the part of Pakistan if its recent performances in One Day Internationals (ODIs) and Test matches are analyzed.
As a year ago, Pakistan was at number 1 in ICC Test Rankings but now it has slipped to 7th position. Likewise, its winning percentage in Tests has also begun deteriorating.
However in contrast, Pakistan’s recent ODI record seems getting better and better with the passage of time. Prior to the beginning of ICC Champions Trophy 2017 held in June, Pakistan, with number 8 place in ICC ODI Rankings, was even endeavoring to assure its direct entrance in 2019 World Cup. But then something abruptly happened and not only Pakistan’s ODI ranking soared to number 6 but green shirts also won the title.
Even this contrast was seen in individual performances as well such as Babar Azam managed to score just 40 runs in 4 innings of two Tests against Sri Lanka at Abu Dhabi and Dubai. But later as the bilateral five-match ODI series kicked off on October 13, he scored 103 runs in the very first match.
In two-match Test series against Pakistan, Sri Lanka remained victorious but following 83-run defeat in first ODIs, the latter recorded its 7th ODI defeat in a raw. However it was Pakistan’s 5th consecutive victory in 50-over game.
It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistan won the first ODI by 83 runs. While batting first, Pakistan scored 292 for 6 with Babar Azam’s 103 and Shoaib Malik’s 81 runs innings. In reply, Sri Lanka could score 209 runs for the loss of 8 wickets.
From Pakistan, Rumman Raees and Hasan Ali took 3 wickets each. It was Hasan Ali’s 5th consecutive ODIs, in which he bagged at least 3 wickets each.
