Test Cricket Prediction and Discussion Thread [self - mod]

[Iranus]

I think Pakistan's openers have set up a very good platform for their chase. Pakistan lost their opener Imam-ul-Haq after the launch break. A good run rate and a positive intent belong to them in that session, but they still have a long way to go. For Pakistan to win, they need three strong sessions and for Sri Lanka to get back on track they need one strong session. Neither team can afford to lose patience in this game. As soon as the heavy roller effect wears off, things may begin to happen.

I would say Pakistan's win is 80% now. Pakistan collected 130 runs. Pakistan lost two wickets of Imam ul Haque and Azhar Ali. However, opener Shafique is still at the crease after collecting 70 runs. Babar Azam also managed to collect 17 runs. Pakistan needs only 212 runs to win. If the wickets of Babar Azam and Shafique are not picked up quickly by the Sri Lankan bowlers, there is no chance for Sri Lanka to win.

Shafique is making the team stronger with every runs. On the other side Babar Azam too started scoring. So, the win is almost confirmed. For now Sri Lanka need some fast wickets without which the Sri Lankan bowlers will experience pressure. While Shafique hits century, Babar Azam will come close to his half century. 202 runs with 8 wickets in hand is going to be an easy win for Pakistan.

The pair of Babar Azam and Abdullah Shafique are making the match easy for Pakistan. Shafique's collection is 77 and Babar Azam's collection is 26. Both the batsmen are batting very responsibly and carefully. And so the Sri Lankan bowlers are not able to pick up any wickets. Today, Pakistan will probably get a chance to bat 29 overs. And if Pakistan doesn't lose any wickets today. Then they will surely win the match tomorrow.

[Sithara007]

As long as Babar Azam is there, Pakistan will be hopeful. Now less than 200 runs needed for a win. Prabath Jayasuriya and Ramesh Mendis have picked up two wickets between them so far, but at the same time they have conceded a total of 113 runs. Abdullah Shafique is handling both of them with ease and Babar is looking quite confident. It is 4th day of play, and therefore no need to take unnecessary haste. All they need to do is to frustrate the Sri Lankan bowlers. Once they make mistakes, the batsmen can capitalize on them and step up the scoring rate.

[laurenB7742]

As long as Babar Azam is there, Pakistan will be hopeful. Now less than 200 runs needed for a win. Prabath Jayasuriya and Ramesh Mendis have picked up two wickets between them so far, but at the same time they have conceded a total of 113 runs. Abdullah Shafique is handling both of them with ease and Babar is looking quite confident. It is 4th day of play, and therefore no need to take unnecessary haste. All they need to do is to frustrate the Sri Lankan bowlers. Once they make mistakes, the batsmen can capitalize on them and step up the scoring rate.

Pakistan has plenty of time to reach the target of victory. So there is no rush. If Pakistan bats slowly and does not lose wickets then Pakistan will not face any problem in winning this match. Pakistan has already collected 176 runs. Abdullah Shafique is unbeaten on 93 runs. On the other hand, Babar Azam is 11 runs short of his half-century. It seems that the Sri Lankan bowlers will not be able to break this pair today.

[Vaskiy]

As long as Babar Azam is there, Pakistan will be hopeful. Now less than 200 runs needed for a win. Prabath Jayasuriya and Ramesh Mendis have picked up two wickets between them so far, but at the same time they have conceded a total of 113 runs. Abdullah Shafique is handling both of them with ease and Babar is looking quite confident. It is 4th day of play, and therefore no need to take unnecessary haste. All they need to do is to frustrate the Sri Lankan bowlers. Once they make mistakes, the batsmen can capitalize on them and step up the scoring rate.

Pakistan has plenty of time to reach the target of victory. So there is no rush. If Pakistan bats slowly and does not lose wickets then Pakistan will not face any problem in winning this match. Pakistan has already collected 176 runs. Abdullah Shafique is unbeaten on 93 runs. On the other hand, Babar Azam is 11 runs short of his half-century. It seems that the Sri Lankan bowlers will not be able to break this pair today.

There is no more chance for Sri Lanka to win the match. Shafique is in good position at 112 runs. Babar Azam have lost his wicket to Jayasuriya at 55 runs. Pakistan is in need of 120 runs in the last day of the match. Shafique and Mohammad Rizwan on the crease makes it easy. If there is fall of wickets in the first session, then there arises some difficulty in reaching the target.

[JSRAW]

There is no more chance for Sri Lanka to win the match. Shafique is in good position at 112 runs. Babar Azam have lost his wicket to Jayasuriya at 55 runs. Pakistan is in need of 120 runs in the last day of the match. Shafique and Mohammad Rizwan on the crease makes it easy. If there is fall of wickets in the first session, then there arises some difficulty in reaching the target.

we shouldn't write off Sri Lanka just yet. It's true pakistan is favorite atm but before Pak's 4th inning, Sri Lankans were favorite and situation completely changed with in 2 sessions.

2 quick wickets in the morning and Sri Lanka would fancy their chances again. In such situation batting collapse is very much possible.

[onecall123]

There is no more chance for Sri Lanka to win the match. Shafique is in good position at 112 runs. Babar Azam have lost his wicket to Jayasuriya at 55 runs. Pakistan is in need of 120 runs in the last day of the match. Shafique and Mohammad Rizwan on the crease makes it easy. If there is fall of wickets in the first session, then there arises some difficulty in reaching the target.

we shouldn't write off Sri Lanka just yet. It's true pakistan is favorite atm but before Pak's 4th inning, Sri Lankans were favorite and situation completely changed with in 2 sessions.

2 quick wickets in the morning and Sri Lanka would fancy their chances again. In such situation batting collapse is very much possible.

Pakistan returned to the game with a 101-run partnership between Babar Azam and Abdullah Shafique. Watching this beautiful test is a real treat. I can't believe how thrilling the comeback has been! On the final day, a target of 120 runs is what we're looking forward to, along with a few magic spells!

[fuguebtc]

There is no more chance for Sri Lanka to win the match. Shafique is in good position at 112 runs. Babar Azam have lost his wicket to Jayasuriya at 55 runs. Pakistan is in need of 120 runs in the last day of the match. Shafique and Mohammad Rizwan on the crease makes it easy. If there is fall of wickets in the first session, then there arises some difficulty in reaching the target.

we shouldn't write off Sri Lanka just yet. It's true pakistan is favorite atm but before Pak's 4th inning, Sri Lankans were favorite and situation completely changed with in 2 sessions.
2 quick wickets in the morning and Sri Lanka would fancy their chances again. In such situation batting collapse is very much possible.

Pakistan returned to the game with a 101-run partnership between Babar Azam and Abdullah Shafique. Watching this beautiful test is a real treat. I can't believe how thrilling the comeback has been! On the final day, a target of 120 runs is what we're looking forward to, along with a few magic spells!

Just need 120 runs to win. There are experienced players like Abdullah Shafique and Mohammad Rizwan at the crease. If Pakistan's batting disaster does not happen in the first session, they can win the match in 35-40 overs. In the first innings, Pakistan showed terrible batting. I thought Sri Lanka will win this match. But in the second innings, Pakistan's batsmen are batting very carefully.

[dezoel]

There is no more chance for Sri Lanka to win the match. Shafique is in good position at 112 runs. Babar Azam have lost his wicket to Jayasuriya at 55 runs. Pakistan is in need of 120 runs in the last day of the match. Shafique and Mohammad Rizwan on the crease makes it easy. If there is fall of wickets in the first session, then there arises some difficulty in reaching the target.

we shouldn't write off Sri Lanka just yet. It's true pakistan is favorite atm but before Pak's 4th inning, Sri Lankans were favorite and situation completely changed with in 2 sessions.

2 quick wickets in the morning and Sri Lanka would fancy their chances again. In such situation batting collapse is very much possible.

I agree with you here because we can't talk about Pakistan when they are favourite to win the match, still they can manage to bring themselves out of the game in very quick way which is trademark of Pakistan with one of the most unpredictable team in cricketing world. Babar and Shafique done good job but still here very long way to go for them with no good batsman at back up all are out of form and Jayasuriya is on his best run just one or two wickets can change all here.

But if these both can stay nearly 15 to 20 overs then surely it's going to be good for Pakistan, and they could be the second team in this WTC which is going to chase over 300 runs for winning a match, and surely it's going to be good for Pakistan as well as their chances at top of table.

[UmerIdrees]

Well, regardless of the team selection and the condition of the pitch, I think a tough target of 350+ runs for Pakistan is good to chase as they are capable of chasing big totals. If you give them a small target like 250 runs, you will find the Pakistan team always struggling. That's why we call them an unpredictable team.

I told you, I told everyone that a thought target like 350 runs could be chased by Pakistan and they did exactly that. They lost only 3 wickets and scored 222 runs. No one believed me that time but I was right.  

2 quick wickets in the morning and Sri Lanka would fancy their chances again. In such situation, batting collapse is very much possible.

Yes, tomorrow is another day and the target is now an easy one. Can Pakistan chase it effortlessly? I guess, No, they will chase it but in a dramatic fashion.

[Mahdirakib]

2 quick wickets in the morning and Sri Lanka would fancy their chances again. In such situation, batting collapse is very much possible.

Yes, tomorrow is another day and the target is now an easy one. Can Pakistan chase it effortlessly? I guess, No, they will chase it but in a dramatic fashion.

I'm not expecting any dramatic scene on the final day of the match. The game is completely under control of Pakistan team now. Abdullah Shafique is playing with responsibility. Pakistan will win the match easily if he (Shafique) can play the full first session of tomorrow. He has scored 112 runs and he will start batting again tomorrow. How ideal it would be to place a bet on ‘over 139.5 runs’ for Abdullah Shafique? The outcome odds is 2.12× for this. His top score is 136 runs in test match.

[noormcs5]

2 quick wickets in the morning and Sri Lanka would fancy their chances again. In such situation, batting collapse is very much possible.

Yes, tomorrow is another day and the target is now an easy one. Can Pakistan chase it effortlessly? I guess, No, they will chase it but in a dramatic fashion.

I'm not expecting any dramatic scene on the final day of the match. The game is completely under control of Pakistan team now. Abdullah Shafique is playing with responsibility. Pakistan will win the match easily if he (Shafique) can play the full first session of tomorrow. He has scored 112 runs and he will start batting again tomorrow. How ideal it would be to place a bet on ‘over 139.5 runs’ for Abdullah Shafique? The outcome odds is 2.12× for this. His top score is 136 runs in test match.

I too think that this match should be easily won by the Pakistan team. How can any team lose a match under such favorable conditions?

Abdullah Shafique will continue his innings and even if he gets out early in the morning, still Pakistan has a depth batting lineup to score the remaining 120 runs and with this interesting test match.

[BobK71]

There is no more chance for Sri Lanka to win the match. Shafique is in good position at 112 runs. Babar Azam have lost his wicket to Jayasuriya at 55 runs. Pakistan is in need of 120 runs in the last day of the match. Shafique and Mohammad Rizwan on the crease makes it easy. If there is fall of wickets in the first session, then there arises some difficulty in reaching the target.

we shouldn't write off Sri Lanka just yet. It's true pakistan is favorite atm but before Pak's 4th inning, Sri Lankans were favorite and situation completely changed with in 2 sessions.

2 quick wickets in the morning and Sri Lanka would fancy their chances again. In such situation batting collapse is very much possible.

Pakistan returned to the game with a 101-run partnership between Babar Azam and Abdullah Shafique. Watching this beautiful test is a real treat. I can't believe how thrilling the comeback has been! On the final day, a target of 120 runs is what we're looking forward to, along with a few magic spells!

Cricket is unpredictable. Initially the Test match seemed to be going to Sri Lanka's control but it turned around again. Today's score says that the match is now on behalf of Pakistan. Nothing is certain, Pakistan need 120 runs on the last day while Sri Lanka need 7 wickets. We are at the end of this match tomorrow it will be clear.

[lixer]

2 quick wickets in the morning and Sri Lanka would fancy their chances again. In such situation, batting collapse is very much possible.

Yes, tomorrow is another day and the target is now an easy one. Can Pakistan chase it effortlessly? I guess, No, they will chase it but in a dramatic fashion.

I'm not expecting any dramatic scene on the final day of the match. The game is completely under control of Pakistan team now. Abdullah Shafique is playing with responsibility. Pakistan will win the match easily if he (Shafique) can play the full first session of tomorrow. He has scored 112 runs and he will start batting again tomorrow. How ideal it would be to place a bet on ‘over 139.5 runs’ for Abdullah Shafique? The outcome odds is 2.12× for this. His top score is 136 runs in test match.

This is good point today I watch all Abdullah batting and feeling he is a good player with having some good responsibility and all the time no doing any trick which create any problem to him which is big change in Pakistani batting lineup and this can give them easy win on last day of the game even still its 120 which is not easy but with this attitude they can manage this which could be big win for them and some good points for WTC table because right now three giants from Asia with Australia and South Africa are in the race.

Mohammad Rizwan is also good, but he needs to check about his few mistakes which are happening regularly and creating problem for him but now at this crucial point they need to do some better strategy which give them win.

[laurenB7742]

As long as Babar Azam is there, Pakistan will be hopeful. Now less than 200 runs needed for a win. Prabath Jayasuriya and Ramesh Mendis have picked up two wickets between them so far, but at the same time they have conceded a total of 113 runs. Abdullah Shafique is handling both of them with ease and Babar is looking quite confident. It is 4th day of play, and therefore no need to take unnecessary haste. All they need to do is to frustrate the Sri Lankan bowlers. Once they make mistakes, the batsmen can capitalize on them and step up the scoring rate.

Pakistan has plenty of time to reach the target of victory. So there is no rush. If Pakistan bats slowly and does not lose wickets then Pakistan will not face any problem in winning this match. Pakistan has already collected 176 runs. Abdullah Shafique is unbeaten on 93 runs. On the other hand, Babar Azam is 11 runs short of his half-century. It seems that the Sri Lankan bowlers will not be able to break this pair today.

There is no more chance for Sri Lanka to win the match. Shafique is in good position at 112 runs. Babar Azam have lost his wicket to Jayasuriya at 55 runs. Pakistan is in need of 120 runs in the last day of the match. Shafique and Mohammad Rizwan on the crease makes it easy. If there is fall of wickets in the first session, then there arises some difficulty in reaching the target.

Pakistan will have to bat very carefully in the first 10 overs tomorrow. If both Shafique and Rizwan get out, Pakistan will be in trouble. As the performance of Pakistani batsmen is not regular. And the middle order players cannot rely on. So Shafique or Rizwan must be at the crease if Pakistan wants to win. If Pakistan loses the wickets of Shafique and Rizwan early in the day, it will be difficult for them to even collect 120 runs.

[pakhitheboss]

The game between Pakistan and Srilanka can go in favour of any team. Only 120 runs to score more but their star batter is out. A Shafique is still going strong but he alone cannot drive Pakistan to victory. Pakistan now need a good partnership if they want to win this test match. I still think Pakistan has a better chance in winning this test match.

[Sithara007]

The game between Pakistan and Srilanka can go in favour of any team. Only 120 runs to score more but their star batter is out. A Shafique is still going strong but he alone cannot drive Pakistan to victory. Pakistan now need a good partnership if they want to win this test match. I still think Pakistan has a better chance in winning this test match.

The match was firmly within Pakistan's control, but the moment Babar Azam got out the situation turned upside down. Until then, they were on top and were comfortably cruising towards a victory. If the Sri Lankan bowlers are able to take one or two quick wickets today morning, then they will be able to wrest control of the match. And that is very much possible, given how brittle the Pakistani middle order is. Both Abdullah Shafique and Mohammad Rizwan need to play sensibly. They have 90 overs and 7 wickets in hand, to get another 120 runs.

[JSRAW]

The game between Pakistan and Srilanka can go in favour of any team. Only 120 runs to score more but their star batter is out. A Shafique is still going strong but he alone cannot drive Pakistan to victory. Pakistan now need a good partnership if they want to win this test match. I still think Pakistan has a better chance in winning this test match.

The match was firmly within Pakistan's control, but the moment Babar Azam got out the situation turned upside down. Until then, they were on top and were comfortably cruising towards a victory. If the Sri Lankan bowlers are able to take one or two quick wickets today morning, then they will be able to wrest control of the match. And that is very much possible, given how brittle the Pakistani middle order is. Both Abdullah Shafique and Mohammad Rizwan need to play sensibly. They have 90 overs and 7 wickets in hand, to get another 120 runs.

After Abdullah Shafique and Mohammad Rizwan pair they also have 2 allrounders. Batting allrounder Agha Salman (management preferred him over Fawad Alam) and 1 bowling allrounder Mohammad Nawaz, he also know how to bat. They have enough batting for remaining 120 runs but again this is pakistani team, you never know. 

All Sri lanka need is 1 good spell from their spinners, the way Jayasuriya got Babar's wicket i think he's could potentially create havoc on 5th day deck.

[Sithara007]

After Abdullah Shafique and Mohammad Rizwan pair they also have 2 allrounders. Batting allrounder Agha Salman (management preferred him over Fawad Alam) and 1 bowling allrounder Mohammad Nawaz, he also know how to bat. They have enough batting for remaining 120 runs but again this is pakistani team, you never know. 

All Sri lanka need is 1 good spell from their spinners, the way Jayasuriya got Babar's wicket i think he's could potentially create havoc on 5th day deck.

If a team like India or Australia was in this situation, I would have said that they had a 80% chance of victory. But it is Pakistan, and they are always unpredictable. I would say that now the match is evenly split at 50/50. Agha Salman is inexperienced at international level and I don't know how much prior experience has has in Sri Lankan conditions. For Pakistan to have a realistic probability to win, Abdullah Shafique need to do the heavy lifting and at least for the first session Mohammad Rizwan need to play the supporting role.

[virasog]

After Abdullah Shafique and Mohammad Rizwan pair they also have 2 allrounders. Batting allrounder Agha Salman (management preferred him over Fawad Alam) and 1 bowling allrounder Mohammad Nawaz, he also know how to bat. They have enough batting for remaining 120 runs but again this is pakistani team, you never know.  

All Sri lanka need is 1 good spell from their spinners, the way Jayasuriya got Babar's wicket i think he's could potentially create havoc on 5th day deck.

If a team like India or Australia was in this situation, I would have said that they had a 80% chance of victory. But it is Pakistan, and they are always unpredictable. I would say that now the match is evenly split at 50/50. Agha Salman is inexperienced at international level and I don't know how much prior experience has has in Sri Lankan conditions. For Pakistan to have a realistic probability to win, Abdullah Shafique need to do the heavy lifting and at least for the first session Mohammad Rizwan need to play the supporting role.

Pakistan only need less than 50 runs now and they still have 6 wickets in hand ?   I wonder why cant they win from here ?

Abdullah Shafique is still not out at 135 and held the innings together. He is the key for this probable Pakistan win. Agha Salman has also scored 12 runs and his role should be to stay on the crease as much time as possible.

[Sithara007]

Pakistan only need less than 50 runs now and they still have 6 wickets in hand ?   I wonder why cant they win from here ?

They lost one more wicket. Now they have 5 wickets in hand. Pakistan always lose wickets at the crucial point. Agha Salman got out just before lunch and now Pakistan need another 44 runs to win. Abdullah Shafique is still there and now he has got to 139 from 363 balls (strike rate of 38). Mohammad Nawaz and Yasir Shah are next for Pakistan and they need to provide adequate support for Shafique so that he doesn't ran out of partners. Prabath Jayasuriya is looking more and more threatening. He has picked up 4 wickets so far.