Pakistan and Sri Lanka will almost share the same feeling before the final at Lords. Cricket in Pakistan has taken a back seat amidst bullets and bombs gripping the entire nation, whereas Sri Lanka is still in the aftermath of 3-decade long internal strife which has taken thousands of lives. A win here for their respective countries will give a soothing effect to their distraught countrymen.
Certainly, it is very difficult to say who has upper hand in this tie because both have abundant talent and have been playing exceptional cricket at the moment. Bowling is the main strength of both the teams because the top 5 bowlers in the tournament are from both teams. Sri Lanka with M3 Factor (Mendis-Murali-Malinga) along with their batsman Dilshan probably in his best form ever make a formidable side. The only weak link is that their middle order batsmen are not delivering and moreover the "Matara Butcher" and "Grandfather" of T20 Jayasuriya is not playing up to his potential. Pakistan on the other other hand too have their batting woes with their middle order not striking. However, with pacer Umar Gul the leading wicket taker along with new sensation Saeed Ajmal, and with the unpredictable Shahid Afridi rising to the occasion with both bat and ball, Pakistan will be a tough nut to crack.
However, at the end I feel that Sri Lank might be favorites and break the jinx because of their consistent performance as oppose to an ever unpredictable Pakistani outfit.
© 2009 Zafarulla Khan
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