Pakistan and Sri Lanka fights for semi-final spot

Cardiff: Winner of the final league match will face England in first semi-final, if washes out then Sri Lanka through.

How this came about deserves a brief recap. Pakistan, who barely strung together five overs of competence against India, choked South Africa's top order with spin, before the quicks came back to wipe out the middle order with reverse swing.

The next day, Sri Lanka, who had been swatted away like a gnat by South Africa, ran down India's 321 for 6 with ease - Angelo Mathews so cool in the final overs, he practically had a cigar between his lips, and a drink in one hand.

With several young faces in both teams, the seniors will have to lead the way

Head-2-Head in ODIs:
Pakistan leads the overall head-to-head tally 84 to 58, having played 147 matches against Sri Lanka. While Pakistan has won two games out of the three played against Sri Lanka at previous Champions Trophies.

Previous Champions Trophy encounters:

1. Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur, October 17, 2006
   Pakistan won by four wickets
2. R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo, September 12, 2002
   Sri Lanka won by eight wickets
3. Gymkhana Club Ground, Nairobi, October 8, 2000
   Pakistan won by nine wickets

Key players for each side:
 
With so many changes in the Pakistan batting line-up over the past few years, the one batsman who has remained stable has been Shoaib Malik. A technically sound batsman who can take the attack to the opposition whenever it is needed, Malik is a potential match-winner against any team. Pakistan will need him to fire quick runs, and bat for a prolonged period if its batting issues are to be resolved.
 
Experience and seniority puts a lot of pressure on any player. Someone who has handled this pressure and has also made good runs in the past year has been Dinesh Chandimal. Among all the new cricketers in the modern Sri Lankan team, Chandimal has emerged as one of the most reliable batsmen. He has rescued the team from various collapses, and has also got the ability to accelerate and switch gears at any point.

Teams from

Sri Lanka: Angelo Mathews (Capt.), Danushka Gunathilaka, Niroshan Dickwella (wk), Kusal Mendis, Kusal Perera (wk), Asela Gunaratne, Dinesh Chandimal (wk), Lasith Malinga, Suranga Lakmal, Nuwan Kulasekara, Nuwan Pradeep, Thisara Perera, Dhananjaya de Silva, Lakshan Sandakan and Seekkuge Prasanna

Pakistan: Sarfraz Ahmed (Capt. & wk), Ahmed Shehzad, Azhar Ali, Babar Azam, Fahim Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Sohail, Hasan Ali, Imad Wasim, Junaid Khan, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Hafeez, Rumman Raees, Shadab Khan, Shoaib Malik

Stats and trivia

• Sri Lanka has lost all the three games it played against Pakistan in England.
• Angelo Mathews, who hit 52 not out against India, has averaged an outstanding 50.08 since the start of 2014, with a strike rate of nearly 88

Best at Champions Trophy:
Sri Lanka Joint-winners (with India) 2002         
Pakistan Semi-finalists 2000, 2004, 2009

Match facts
Monday June 12, 2017
Start time 10.30am local (0930 GMT)