| Scores | Upcoming | Results |
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3rd ODI - South Africa v Pakistan at Johannesburg
Pakistan won by 36 runs (DLS method) 3rd ODI - Zimbabwe v Afghanistan at Harare
Afghanistan won by 8 wickets (with 139 balls remaining) | ||
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| Scores | Upcoming | Results |
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3rd ODI - South Africa v Pakistan at Johannesburg
Pakistan won by 36 runs (DLS method) 3rd ODI - Zimbabwe v Afghanistan at Harare
Afghanistan won by 8 wickets (with 139 balls remaining) | ||
Dambulla: Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi won the toss and opted to bat against India in the fourth ODI of Asia Cup at Rangiri Dambulla Stadium on Saturday.
Incidentally, this is only the second Indo-Pak match being played after 26/11. The last occasion was at the Champions Trophy in South Africa last year, which India lost by 54 runs.
Pakistan are known to be dangerously volatile when put in a do-or-die situation, as is the situation now after they lost their first match to Sri Lanka.
A determined and aggressive Afridi could spoil India's party if he cuts loose in the middle, as he did against the Lankans.
The Akmal brothers, Umar and Kamran, are immensely capable of turning the match on its head when the chips are down. Salman Butt and Shoaib Malik also have the reputation to destroy any attack on their day.
But man to man, India have a superior batting unit. Unlike Pakistan, India have a deep batting line-up, with Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan capable of pulling their side out of crisis.
Both teams have a reasonably good bowling line-up. If Shoaib Akthar, who hobbled out with a strained left knee after a practice session, finds the rhythm which had deserted him in the game against Lanka, it would be an intense contest in the middle.
If India beat Pakistan on Saturday, they will sail through to the finals, leaving Pakistan to play out an inconsequential match against Bangladesh.
But if Pakistan trounce India, they can hope to qualify for the June 24 title clash by extracting the bonus point against Bangladesh.
Teams
India: M S Dhoni (capt), Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja, Pragyan Ojha, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Praveen Kumar, Asish Nehra.
Pakistan: Sahid Afridi (capt), Salman Butt, Imran Farhat, Shoaib Malik, Umar Akmal, Kamran Akmal (wk), Abdul Razzaq, Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Amin, Mohammad Aamer, Saeed Ajmal
| Scores | Upcoming | Results |
|
3rd ODI - South Africa v Pakistan at Johannesburg
Pakistan won by 36 runs (DLS method) 3rd ODI - Zimbabwe v Afghanistan at Harare
Afghanistan won by 8 wickets (with 139 balls remaining) | ||
