A glance at today's matches

Canada v Zimbabwe
In this battle of minnows Zimbabwe has the upper hand given their slightly more exposure at the international level. Zimbabweans have a young side but they should not have much of a problem in disposing off Canada who are complete novices are also not rated very highly among the associate members of the ICC. Zimbabwe will be hoping that their slightly senior players like Prosper Utseya, Hamilton Masakadza and Ray Price stand up and deliver to lead the way for the youngsters. Both teams will learn a lot from competing against top teams like Pakistan and Sri Lanka. This game will provide both Zimbabwe and Canada to test out their skills by competing each other and judging as to where they stand. They might not get a chance to show their full talents against the big boys but amongst themselves they have a better chance of showing their talents in a slightly convenient environ. Canada should be aiming to get the basics right and that can be their only chance of survival against the big teams. All said and done Zimbabwe are expected to win the game by a big margin with Canada hoping to get some valuable exposure under their belt for the future.
Sri Lanka v Pakistan
It could well be a replay of the final as Pakistan take on Sri Lanka. All the three visiting teams have little time to acclimatise and the tight schedule can be more toiling for the players. Nonetheless both teams will have to put their heads down and get to business. Sri Lankans look to have a more balanced side on paper at least. But Pakistan have also got some individual who can prove to be match winners in their own right. Pakistan team will be facing the biggest threat from unorthodox spinner Ajantha Mendis who can prove to be a handful with his bag of tricks. Pakistan batsmen will have to bat cautiously and aim to see off his spell with care as he can do severe damage to any line up in the world. Apart from Mendis Sri Lanka doesn't have much potency in their bowling line to trouble Pakistan batsmen with the likes Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq, Shoaib Malik and Shahid Afridi. For Pakistan Shahid Afridi will have to bring more consistency with the bat. Yes he has done well with the ball this year but he is also expected to deliver with the ball and he has do well there as well.