Test Cricket Prediction and Discussion Thread [self - mod]

[pakhitheboss]

I still remember the competition between Sachin Tendulkar and Shoaib Akhtar till to date. In my opinion Shaheen Afridi is a great bowler in modern day cricket for Pakistan and as a batter it will be Babar Azam. They still need another good bowler and couple of good all rounder to balance the team. Abdullah Shafique's performance in the last test match looks quite promising. Now he needs to repeat it in the next test match to make a name for himself.

Yeah.. I remember Pakistani team touring India sometime in late 1990s. It was Shoiab Akhtar's first tour of India and he wrecked havoc. Indian batsmen (including Ganguly, Tendulkar, Sachin and Laxman) were complaining that he was so fast that they can't even see the ball. And India didn't had bowlers with that much pace. Javagal Srinath used to hit 90mph once in a while, but the other bowlers such as Debashish Mohanty, Ajit Agarkar and Ashish Nehra used to bowl in low 70s, or early 80s. LOL.. back then test cricket was entertaining.

Yes, Shoaib Akhtar was the fastest and perhaps the one who set this trend but then Brett Lee, Mitchell Starc, and Shaun Tait also were considered the fastest and more consistent fast bowlers as compared to Shoaib Akhtar.

However, among all the bowlers, the Shoaib Akhtar action was the most furious and devastating. No one could be compared to him in this department.

He had brilliant follow through action and great build up for a fast bowler. I still remember watching him half mile to start his run-up. Another bowler who etech havoc was in test cricket was South African bowler Alan Donald. We cannot ignor him when were are discussing about fast bowler. Many bowlers treid to copy his follow through but no one was able to succed.

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[UmerIdrees]

Srilanka is looking solid in the 2nd test as they survived the early spell from the pakistani pacers. Hassan Ali and Naseem Shah are unable to put any sort of pressure on the Srilankan batsmen and they are playing freely at a good run rate of 4.5 / over. 
No matter how good the pitch is for the test match, the team chasing the big score will always come under pressure.

[YinShuiSiYuan]

Srilanka is looking solid in the 2nd test as they survived the early spell from the pakistani pacers. Hassan Ali and Naseem Shah are unable to put any sort of pressure on the Srilankan batsmen and they are playing freely at a good run rate of 4.5 / over. 
No matter how good the pitch is for the test match, the team chasing the big score will always come under pressure.

Pakistan is badly missing shaheen Shah. Hassan Ali is not in good form but Pakistan still include him in every squad. Pakistan only edge is that they have won the first match and can't lose the series. Srilanka at the moment are looking too good as they are 181/3.

[pakhitheboss]

Srilanka has already lost 4 wickets and has scored 214 runs. Chandimal is still on the pitch and is again looking strong against Pakistan, he has already scored 49 runs and I think he is aiming for his century in this match. If he continues, then Srilanka can achieve more than 300 runs. Pakistan is missing Shaheen Afridi if he would have played then the wickets would be more.

[eaLiTy]

Srilanka has already lost 4 wickets and has scored 214 runs. Chandimal is still on the pitch and is again looking strong against Pakistan, he has already scored 49 runs and I think he is aiming for his century in this match. If he continues, then Srilanka can achieve more than 300 runs. Pakistan is missing Shaheen Afridi if he would have played then the wickets would be more.

The inform Dinesh Chandimal once again played well for Sri Lanka but he missed his century as he was trying to clear the boundary but mistimed it completely. Dhananjaya de Silva and Niroshan Dickwella is in the crease and they need to create a good partnership to get to a decent score.
Pakistan have the advantage here and i expect them to win the match.

[JSRAW]

Srilanka has already lost 4 wickets and has scored 214 runs. Chandimal is still on the pitch and is again looking strong against Pakistan, he has already scored 49 runs and I think he is aiming for his century in this match. If he continues, then Srilanka can achieve more than 300 runs. Pakistan is missing Shaheen Afridi if he would have played then the wickets would be more.

The inform Dinesh Chandimal once again played well for Sri Lanka but he missed his century as he was trying to clear the boundary but mistimed it completely. Dhananjaya de Silva and Niroshan Dickwella is in the crease and they need to create a good partnership to get to a decent score.
Pakistan have the advantage here and i expect them to win the match.

This looks like a batting pitch. Every SriLankan batter got a good start but throw away their wicket except one unfortunate run out. 300 up for them but i think Pakistani bowler doing a good job on flat track, considering the condition scoreline could have been 350 or 380 for 4 wicket.

Chandimal is having really nice run these days, 4th back to back 50+ score for him.

[noormcs5]

Pakistan is badly missing shaheen Shah.

Any idea why shaheen Shah afraidi is not playing this test match? Is he injured or what?
This test match was not only important to win the series but also they need to win it in order to keep their dreams alive for the International test championship.

This looks like a batting pitch.

Let's see how the pitch will play when the Pakistan batsmen will bat on it. 400 runs are on the cards for Srilanka if they continue to bat and survive till lunch tomorrow.

[Maady]

Any idea of how many more test matches they (pakistan) have to win in order to be in the top 2 of the international test championship?

If my memory serves me well then they have 6 more tests in this WTC cycle

1 Against SL
3 against Eng
2 against NZ

- Winning all of em would be amazing but it's tough for any team even in home conditions.
- They need at least 68-ish points to secure their seat and have to win 4 tests +1 draw and they can afford only 1 loss. They should also hope that India and SA are not winning their all remaning match (especially India) as they are playing against 2 matches against Bangladesh at away series and 4 against Aus at home (this is very tough nut to crack for India).


Pakistan should try to clean sweep SL, it would be very helpful for them.

It's interesting what about South Africa? Right now they look solid contenders for Test Championship finals.

[CryptoBuds]

Srilanka has already lost 4 wickets and has scored 214 runs. Chandimal is still on the pitch and is again looking strong against Pakistan, he has already scored 49 runs and I think he is aiming for his century in this match. If he continues, then Srilanka can achieve more than 300 runs. Pakistan is missing Shaheen Afridi if he would have played then the wickets would be more.

The inform Dinesh Chandimal once again played well for Sri Lanka but he missed his century as he was trying to clear the boundary but mistimed it completely. Dhananjaya de Silva and Niroshan Dickwella is in the crease and they need to create a good partnership to get to a decent score.
Pakistan have the advantage here and i expect them to win the match.

This looks like a batting pitch. Every SriLankan batter got a good start but throw away their wicket except one unfortunate run out. 300 up for them but i think Pakistani bowler doing a good job on flat track, considering the condition scoreline could have been 350 or 380 for 4 wicket.

Chandimal is having really nice run these days, 4th back to back 50+ score for him.

At the end of the first day, Sri Lanka managed to collect 315 runs. And they lost 6 wickets. I think the pitch helps the batsme. Yet Sri Lanka should collect at least 450. But looking at Sri Lanka's batting I don't think they will be able to collect 400. Like the first match, this match too will go in favor of Pakistan. Pakistan players are more experienced than Sri Lanka.

[posi]

The inform Dinesh Chandimal once again played well for Sri Lanka but he missed his century as he was trying to clear the boundary but mistimed it completely. Dhananjaya de Silva and Niroshan Dickwella is in the crease and they need to create a good partnership to get to a decent score.
Pakistan have the advantage here and i expect them to win the match.

This looks like a batting pitch. Every SriLankan batter got a good start but throw away their wicket except one unfortunate run out. 300 up for them but i think Pakistani bowler doing a good job on flat track, considering the condition scoreline could have been 350 or 380 for 4 wicket.
Chandimal is having really nice run these days, 4th back to back 50+ score for him.

At the end of the first day, Sri Lanka managed to collect 315 runs. And they lost 6 wickets. I think the pitch helps the batsme. Yet Sri Lanka should collect at least 450. But looking at Sri Lanka's batting I don't think they will be able to collect 400. Like the first match, this match too will go in favor of Pakistan. Pakistan players are more experienced than Sri Lanka.

I am going to say that Sri Lanka is playing quite well. To be honest, a lot of them have missed out on a century. This really does look like a batting pitch. But I am also willing to agree that Sri Lanka was not equipped to take full advantage of that pitch. They should have been able to score a lot more freely on a pitch that is very batting-friendly. While the Pakistani bowlers are doing well, Sri Lanka has also thrown some wickets very cheaply. It is going to be interesting to see if Sri Lanka is able to reach the 400 mark.

[romero121]

Even in today's innings Chandimal did his part and I expected a 100, he was stopped at 80 runs by Mohammad Nawaz with the catch to Alam. On the crease is Dickwella who is to score his fifty and Wellalage, young bowler. Somehow they need to make plans for reaching 450 runs. If that's possible then surely this is going to be a good target.

[Cryptock]

Even in today's innings Chandimal did his part and I expected a 100, he was stopped at 80 runs by Mohammad Nawaz with the catch to Alam. On the crease is Dickwella who is to score his fifty and Wellalage, young bowler. Somehow they need to make plans for reaching 450 runs. If that's possible then surely this is going to be a good target.

...Oh come on 450 is a very big run rate. Which is impossible.
But Muhammad Nawaz did play well - we were expecting that he will make his centry but it dont now turn out to be a good day for NAwza. Hope to see some good cricket.

[BALIK]

The pitch condition looks like it is a batting pitch, and the bowlers are not getting much chance. Still Sri Lanka lost 6 wickets. If you want to win on such a pitch, I think you should collect around 450-500. Karan was able to perform well in the last match against the Pakistani batsmen. Sri Lanka will not be able to win if their collection is not big. But Sri Lanka can now stay at the crease and try to draw the match. Then Sri Lanka will have to survive at least two sessions at the crease today

[pakhitheboss]

The pitch condition looks like it is a batting pitch, and the bowlers are not getting much chance. Still Sri Lanka lost 6 wickets. If you want to win on such a pitch, I think you should collect around 450-500. Karan was able to perform well in the last match against the Pakistani batsmen. Sri Lanka will not be able to win if their collection is not big. But Sri Lanka can now stay at the crease and try to draw the match. Then Sri Lanka will have to survive at least two sessions at the crease today

I do not think Srilanka can set a target of 400+ runs. They have lost 6 wickets and there isn't much batting left after this pair gets out. At the moment the pitch looks suitable for batters but as the days pass by the pitch will break and will become suitable for spinners. Batting would not be that easy for any side. Pakistan bowling attack is not looking that good. Hopefully day 2 they might be able to get a couple of wickets quickly.

[onecall123]

The pitch condition looks like it is a batting pitch, and the bowlers are not getting much chance. Still Sri Lanka lost 6 wickets. If you want to win on such a pitch, I think you should collect around 450-500. Karan was able to perform well in the last match against the Pakistani batsmen. Sri Lanka will not be able to win if their collection is not big. But Sri Lanka can now stay at the crease and try to draw the match. Then Sri Lanka will have to survive at least two sessions at the crease today

I do not think Srilanka can set a target of 400+ runs. They have lost 6 wickets and there isn't much batting left after this pair gets out. At the moment the pitch looks suitable for batters but as the days pass by the pitch will break and will become suitable for spinners. Batting would not be that easy for any side. Pakistan bowling attack is not looking that good. Hopefully day 2 they might be able to get a couple of wickets quickly.

In Day 2, Pakistan bowlers claimed the rest of Sri Lankan wickets.
At 378, Sri Lanka's first innings comes to an end. Before being bowled out, Sri Lanka's lower order scored some important runs. I would like to see if the SL bowlers can afford aggressive strategies and pressure with this total. On the other hand, Pakistan should bat well and take the lead early in the game. On this wicket, Pakistan has the potential to score 500+? After losing one wicket before lunch break, Pakistan is at 15/1.

[dezoel]

Interesting that you mentioned Mohammad Hasnain. I have doubt about the future of his career, as he was reported for suspect bowling action. He managed to clear his action later and right now is representing Worcestershire in England county cricket. Haris Rauf is a good bowler, but I would rate Hasan Ali ahead of him. Anyway, there is no shortage of fast bowling talent in Pakistan. New players are emerging, such as Shahnawaz Dahani, Mohammad Wasim (North Waziristan), Zaman Khan (Mirpur) and Mohammad Imran (Swat).

There is no doubt Pakistan is historically land of fast bowlers, and they produced one of the best in this field with too many achievements and having good speed and in swing and out swings as well, but sadly they never have any good academy like we have in India MRF which is surely currently one of the best for producing pace bowlers in early years Dennis Lille was spending his time and giving instructions to bowlers for having better future and now Prasad is on duty with this which is now heaven for Indian pace attack with this now even we are just behind world-class fast bowlers but can compete with few countries like New Zealand and South Africa with now going to touch Australia and Pakistan in near future.

For me, its the biggest failure for them that they never work on this and PCB is also never done any good job for this even they can do much better with this specially suspect action issue can also settle here for many bowlers which could be extra bonus for them.

[YinShuiSiYuan]

In Day 2, Pakistan bowlers claimed the rest of Sri Lankan wickets.
At 378, Sri Lanka's first innings comes to an end. Before being bowled out, Sri Lanka's lower order scored some important runs. I would like to see if the SL bowlers can afford aggressive strategies and pressure with this total. On the other hand, Pakistan should bat well and take the lead early in the game. On this wicket, Pakistan has the potential to score 500+? After losing one wicket before lunch break, Pakistan is at 15/1.

Pakistan bowling was not good without shaheen Shah. Hassan Ali got zero wicket and srilanka are in good position as they have got 6 Pakistani wickets including  crucial wicket of Babar Azam. Pakistan still trail by 219 runs and they have just 4 wikcets left.

[jostorres]

Even in today's innings Chandimal did his part and I expected a 100, he was stopped at 80 runs by Mohammad Nawaz with the catch to Alam. On the crease is Dickwella who is to score his fifty and Wellalage, young bowler. Somehow they need to make plans for reaching 450 runs. If that's possible then surely this is going to be a good target.

No doubt about Chandimal quality because he is one of the best batsman in current Sri Lankan team and former captain of team as well he already did 250 in just three innings against Pakistan which is not easy. Even now we are on batting track where bowlers are not having any help but still if Sri Lanka can touch 430 to 450 then surely they could be at driving seat and can bring Pakistan under pressure because we all know they are unpredictable and in this match surely they are playing without any pressure.

This could be beneficial for home team because most of the time they go down in situation like these and give match to opponents is long time business with currently draw is hot favorite in this match I am feeling something positive for home team as well because their new sensation Jayasuriya can do magic again and can give upper hand to his team.

[YinShuiSiYuan]

No doubt about Chandimal quality because he is one of the best batsman in current Sri Lankan team and former captain of team as well he already did 250 in just three innings against Pakistan which is not easy. Even now we are on batting track where bowlers are not having any help but still if Sri Lanka can touch 430 to 450 then surely they could be at driving seat and can bring Pakistan under pressure because we all know they are unpredictable and in this match surely they are playing without any pressure.

This could be beneficial for home team because most of the time they go down in situation like these and give match to opponents is long time business with currently draw is hot favorite in this match I am feeling something positive for home team as well because their new sensation Jayasuriya can do magic again and can give upper hand to his team.

No doubt Dinesh Chandimal is having good time with bat since Srilanka played last test with Australia. Dinesh Chandimal scored 206 not out against Australia in last match of series. In first test against Pakistan he scored 76 and 94 not out and today he was out on 80. He missed 2 centuries in this series.

[Mahdirakib]

Pakistani players couldn't manage to make a big partnership. They have lost 7 wickets in 191 runs until now. Seems like Sri Lanka will start their second innings with a big lead. The game is in favour of Sri Lanka now. Perhaps, Pakistan will loss this match if Sri Lanka can give a target of 450+ runs. This is an spin friendly pitch, and Sri Lankans spinners are doing their job perfectly.