Was the Test series a black swan event, not amenable to rationalisation after the fact? It certainly seems so after the proceedings of the first ODI between Pakistan and Sri Lanka in Dubai, which firmly saw the cricket return to the realms of predictability. Essentially, Pakistan are pretty bloody good in the UAE, and Sri Lanka, at the moment, are poor.
Within the space of one evening's cricket, analysis seems to have reverted to favouring Pakistan heavily. Sri Lanka's mystery spinners now simply look unreliable, their hard-working fast bowlers too impotent. In this format, at least, we claim, Sri Lanka have been at their worst, winning just four ODIs all year and now having lost eight on the trot. The game in Dubai showed why, since it was representative of their performance this year: the bowlers unable to take wickets in the middle overs, and the batsmen incapable of mounting a serious chase.
They went into the first game fielding just two specialist fast bowlers. With allrounder Thisara Perera's current bowling form, that is a concern. He went for 68 in his eight overs, and was extremely expensive in last month's series between the World XI and Pakistan in Lahore, conceding 111 runs in 11 overs across three games. He isn't easy to drop, however, due to his explosiveness with the bat, but his reliability as an all-round option at the moment is wearing thin.
Pakistan, by no means a perfect ODI side, look significantly stronger than their opponents at the moment. The batsmen are in better form, with old hands and young guns working well together, highlighted by Friday's match-winning partnership between Shoaib Malik and Babar Azam. Ahmed Shehzad will be desperate for runs, though, the opener's duck not having gone unnoticed, not least because it came off 12 balls.
That Mohammad Amir's absence was not felt in the slightest attests to the depth of Pakistan's fast bowling. Rumman Raees expertly took his place, managing to find swing with the new ball, and making the early inroads that snuffed out Sri Lanka's hopes of a competitive chase. Junaid Khan bowled well despite going wicketless, while Hasan Ali's star continues to rise.
This, then, is the backdrop to the second ODI in Abu Dhabi, with Pakistan looking fairly settled as Sri Lanka wrestle with selection dilemmas and form concerns. However, predicting outcomes between these sides is as close as it comes to a fool's errand. Pakistan are globally famous for their inconsistency while Sri Lanka's undoubted ability - particularly with the ball - means anyone surprised by a Sri Lankan win probably hasn't watched these sides take each other on too often. (Cricinfo)
