Angelo Mathews
Angelo Mathews [Reuters]

Defending champions Pakistan take on Sri Lanka in the final of the Asia Cup 2014 at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur on Saturday.

Where to Watch Live
Play is set to begin at 8:00am GMT. Live coverage will be available on Star Life OK. Follow the live text updates of the game on ESPN Cricinfo.

Overview

Sri Lanka registered victories in all the four matches in the Asia Cup 2014 and topped the points table with 17 points to seal their place in the final.

In their previous round robin fixture, the Lankans opted to rest Dinesh Chandimal and Lasith Malinga against Bangladesh. Angelo Mathews' men restricted the hosts to 204 runs in 50 overs taking nine wickets in the process. Suranga Lakmal, Thisara Perera, Ajantha Mendis, Ashan Priyanjan nabbed two wickets each while Chaturanga de Silva took one.

However, the Lankans struggled to chase the target and had lost three wickets with just eight runs on the board. They needed Mathews to shine for them and the skipper remained unbeaten scoring 74 runs to guide his team to victory in the 49<sup>th over by which they had already lost seven wickets.

The Lankans will be keen to avoid any complacency from their previous game and maintain the same mental strength like they did when they emerged victorious against Pakistan in the opening game of the tournament.

Following their defeat in the first game, the defending champions brushed aside Afghanistan, India and Bangladesh in their following fixtures to secure progress into their second successive Asia Cup final finishing second in the table with 13 points.

The Pakistani bowlers had a tough time against the hosts in their last game as Bangladesh posted a score of 326 runs in the opening innings. However, Fawad Alam (74) and Shahid Afridi (59) carried forward the platform set up by Ahmed Shehzad (103) and Mohammad Hafeez (52) early in the game to help their team achieve the target with one ball to spare and having list seven wickets by the end.

Team News

Sri Lanka

Probable Lineup: Kusal Perera, Lahiru Thirimanne, Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara (wk), Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews (c), Thisara Perera, Chaturanga de Silva, Sachithra Senanayake, Ajantha Mendis, Lasith Malinga

Pakistan

Probable Lineup: Ahmed Shehzad, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Maqsood, Misbah-ul-Haq (c), Fawad Alam, Shahid Afridi, Umar Akmal (wk), Anwar Ali, Mohammad Talha, Saeed Ajmal, Junaid Khan

Pakistan