After a completely one-sided ODI series, Sri Lanka finish their tour of Pakistan with a three match T20 series which gets underway in Abu Dhabi on Thursday. It wasn’t too long ago that Sri Lanka were winning the Test series though and this is probably their best format right now.
Pakistan have got a good head of steam going at the minute though and that is something they will be out to build on so hopefully the tour ends competitively especially as we head to Pakistan for the final match.
Schedule
1st T20: Oct 26 at Abu Dhabi
2nd T20: Oct 27 at Abu Dhabi
3rd T20: Oct 29 at Lahore
Pakistan
This will be the first series Pakistan have played in this format since they turned over the World XI when cricket returned to their country and they will be looking to continue their dominance when the players return to Pakistan in this series too. The home side are certainly not going to lack for motivation in this series.
In total Pakistan have quietly won their last four series. Some of them have been shorter series than others but it highlights how well they are going in this format at the present time. The rise of the Pakistan Super League has had a lot to do with that while their players have had experience in other leagues too.
Sri Lanka
The Sri Lankans have had an up and down 2017 in this format. They began it by beating South Africa and Australia away from home but since then things have gone quiet and they have lost home series against Bangladesh and India. You would think they would have done things the other way around but they’ll be looking to finish on a high.
The lack of a consistent squad to pick from has hampered their progress in the second half of the year and that is something that could hinder them here too. Common logic would suggest that when a side is struggling the shorter the format the better their chances are of being competitive at the very least.
Head to Head
These two have met in five previous T20 series and Pakistan have won three of them. The other two have been drawn which leaves Sri Lanka still looking for their first success in a series against Pakistan.
In the 15 matches the two sides have played in this format of the game Pakistan have won 10 of them with Sri Lanka just five so the tourists look up against it if you go by history as a deciding factor.
[the_ad_group id=”3624″]
Betting
It is hard to go against Pakistan in this series but it is quick fire and backing up performances won’t be easy which is a concern. There also won’t be much time to prepare for the final game either so I wouldn’t be completely surprised if this series doesn’t follow a logical path.
Bearing that in mind I’m going to take just the one bet for the series which is actually the same bet I took in the ODI series. That is for Babar Azam to lead the run scoring for the home side. He prevailed for me in the 50 over sphere and his record in this format is equally as good with him averaging 54 in T20s.
He stood out like a sore thumb in the ODI series and I see no reason why he won’t continue his good form here so at 11/4 he looks a more than fair bet.
Tips
Back B.Azam Top Pakistan Series Batsman for a 2/10 stake at 3.75 with Bet365
Back him here:
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2017
