Daijiworld Media Network

Dubai, Dec 20: The first ODI was an absolute thriller. Unfortunately, Sri Lanka couldn't hold their nerve in the end and handed Pakistan the early advantage in the 5-match series. Skipper Angelo Mathews though sounded positive at the post-match presentation and stressed that there is no need for his side to panic. Pakistan on the other hand would love to repeat their batting performance if not improve their play today. Mohammad Hafeez and Sohaib Maqsood were the top performers with the bat. However, the bowlers need to pull up their socks and do a better job. Hello and welcome to another exciting game of cricket between the two sides. The pitch here in Dubai is normally a good batting surface. We'll bring you more on the teams and the toss in a short while.

Bad news for Sri Lanka, Lahiru Thirimanne has injured himself in the warm-ups. Dimuth Karunaratne will replace him while Nuwan Kulasekara is back in the side in place of Suranga Lakmal.

Sri Lanka have won the toss and have opted to field

Misbah: 'The wicket looks good, maybe a touch slower than the Sharjah wicket but it will be good to bat on. We are going in with the same side.'

Mathews: 'We will have a bowl first. There is not much of wind and it is pretty hot as well. The dew factor might come in later on and that is why we want to field first. Little bit disappointed that we coulnd't win but the boys are fired up for this game. We have made two changes.'

Pitch Report: 'Dew certainly is a factor. There is not much of breeze now and that is a clear indication that there will be some dew later on. The surface is drier and there are a few cracks but that will be evened out by the dew later on. 250 is a minimum on this pitch,' reckons Russel Arnold.

Teams:

Sri Lanka (Playing XI): Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kushal Janith Perera, Kumar Sangakkara(w), Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews(c), Dimuth Karunaratne, Thisara Perera, Nuwan Kulasekara, Seekkuge Prasanna, Sachithra Senanayake, Lasith Malinga

Pakistan (Playing XI): Sharjeel Khan, Ahmed Shehzad, Mohammad Hafeez, Sohaib Maqsood, Misbah-ul-Haq(c), Umar Akmal(w), Shahid Afridi, Bilawal Bhatti, Sohail Tanvir, Saeed Ajmal, Junaid Khan

Preview by Gokul Gopal

Following a narrow loss in a high-scoring encounter, Sri Lanka will be looking to come back strong and square the ODI series when they face Pakistan in the second ODI in Dubai. Meanwhile, the 'hosts' will be looking to extend their good run in the 50-over format and take a 2-0 lead in the 5-match series in the UAE.

Pakistan: Since scoring a century against Zimbabwe in August this year, Mohammad Hafeez has struggled with the bat in the ODI format. But the all-rounder finally came good by scoring a superb 122 in the 1st ODI that enabled Pakistan post a big total. Sohaib Maqsood too found form, coming up with a fine knock of 73. Pakistan have had a problem with the middle order not contributing much in recent times, but the return to form of these two augers well for the side. Shahid Afridi too has been doing well of late with the bat and the enigmatic all-rounder scored a quick-fire 34 in the first game, which will give Pakistan more confidence. The one who has impressed the most is Sharjeel Khan and the left-hander, who did well in the T20 matches recently, extended his good form with a half-century on his ODI debut. The only concern Pakistan will have with their batting is that Ahmed Shehzad has been getting out early since scoring a century against South Africa last month.

Most of the Pakistan bowlers had expensive returns in the opening game, which will worry skipper Misbah. While spinners Afridi and Saeed Ajmal bowled economically, as did Hafeez, the seamers gave away a lot of runs, with Bilawal Batti turning out to be the most expensive bowler. Junaid Khan picked up three wickets, but the left-arm pacer too conceded quite a few. Pakistan will be hoping for a more disciplined show from the quicker bowlers in the upcoming games. The Pakistan captain, after the 1st ODI, had also pointed out that his team's fielding and catching was not all that great and he will be hoping that his side can show some improvement in that department as well.

Sri Lanka: The visitors showed a lot of spirit with the bat but they ended up 12 short of the target. The main reason for them ending up on the losing side is that most of the batsmen failed to convert their starts. While Kusal Perera scored a fine half-century, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara, Dinesh Chandimal and Angelo Mathews, all fell after promising starts. If not for a fighting 87 run-stand for the 8th wicket between Sachitra Senanayake and Seekugge Prasanna, Sri Lanka would have not even come close to where they eventually finished in the first ODI. The Lankans will also be slightly worried with the form of Lahiru Thirimanne, who has not been doing all that well in the ODIs. Skipper Mathews, after the opening game, said there was nothing to panic, but he and the team management will know that the batsmen need to do a better job.

While spinners Prasanna and Senanayake did a tidy job with the ball, the Lankan seamers, like their Pakistani counterparts, were the ones to concede the most in the opening ODI. Thisara Perera conceded close to 9 an over, Lasith Malinga and Suranga Lakmal had expensive figures while Mathews too gave away almost six an over. In the 31 overs that the seamers bowled, 214 runs were conceded, which will be a concern for the Sri Lankan team and they will be hoping that the bowlers do a better job and restrict the Pakistan batsmen.

Team News: Pakistan are unlikely to make any changes to their eleven although they might be tempted to give Anwar Ali a game in place of Bhatti. As far as the Lankans are concerned, it is uncertain whether they experimented when they left out Nuwan Kulasekara, who has been one of their most consistent performers in the limited overs format. It is unlikely that they will leave him out again, in which case Lakmal is likely to be the one to make way, although he did pick up a couple of wickets.

Pitch and conditions: Like the one in Sharjah, the pitch for the second ODI in Dubai is likely to assist the batsmen. Dew is something that worried the captains before the series. However, there wasn't any during the first match as Misbah had foretold and there might not be any during the second game as well, which is good news for the team batting first.

Numbers:

29: The number of runs Kumar Sangakkara requires to become the second Sri Lankan with 12,000 or more runs in ODI cricket.

3: The number of catches Tillakaratne Dilshan needs to take to become the 5th Sri Lankan with 100 or more catches in ODIs.