Pakistan have won the toss and opted to bowl in their must-win Group B clash with Sri Lanka in Cardiff.

The match is effectively a quarter-final, with the winner advancing to the semi-finals and the loser being eliminated from the tournament. Both sides have blown “hot and cold” so far this tournament. Sri Lanka slumped to a 96-run defeat to South Africa, before rebounding to record a famous seven-wicket triumph over defending champions India.

Pakistan, on the other hand, began the tournament in disastrous fashion. They crashed to 164 all out and a 124-run defeat to bitter rivals India in their opener. They showed a lot of character in their next outing, where they handed No 1 ODI side South Africa a 19-run loss after a rain-affected encounter.

Sri Lanka have had the slight upper hand in the recent past. They have won six of the past ten clashes between the two teams.

Overcast conditions are expected for match-day, though the rain is expected to stay away.

Sri Lanka: 1 Niroshan Dickwella (wk), 2 Danushka Gunathilaka, 3 Kusal Mendis, 4 Dinesh Chandimal, 5 Angelo Mathews (capt.), 6 Asela Gunaratne, 7 Dhananjaya de Silva, 8 Thisara Perera, 9 Suranga Lakmal, 10 Lasith Malinga, 11 Nuwan Pradeep

There is a chance of fast-bowling allrounder Faheem Ashraf debuting, in place of Mohammad Hafeez. However, Pakistan will perhaps be unwilling to mess with a winning combination.

Pakistan : 1 Azhar Ali, 2 Fakhar Zaman, 3 Babar Azam, 4 Mohammad Hafeez, 5 Shoaib Malik, 6 Sarfraz Ahmed (capt, wk), 7 Imad Wasim, 8 Fahim Ashraf, 9 Mohammed Amir, 10 Hasan Ali, 11 Junaid Khan

Sri Lanka: 1 Niroshan Dickwella (wk), 2 Danushka Gunathilaka, 3 Kusal Mendis, 4 Dinesh Chandimal, 5 Angelo Mathews (capt.), 6 Asela Gunaratne, 7 Dhananjaya de Silva, 8 Thisara Perera, 9 Suranga Lakmal, 10 Lasith Malinga, 11 Nuwan Pradeep

Photo: Stu Forster/Getty Images