Pakistan won the toss and opted to bowl first in the T20 tri-nation series final against Sri Lanka at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Saturday.
The Salman Ali Agha-led hosts, who won three out of the four round robin matches of the event that also featured Zimbabwe, will be looking to continue with their good show which was soured by a six-run loss to Sri Lanka on Thursday night at the same venue.
Both teams observed a minute of silence before today’s game as tribute to those who have lost their lives due to the ongoing extreme weather conditions in Sri Lanka.
“Not a typical Pindi pitch but still a 160-170 pitch,” skipper Salman said after the toss.
“We just need to play good cricket. We are good enough to beat anyone. We want to play this as any other game. We have one change: Shaheen is back, Wasim is not playing.”
Shaheen Shah Afridi last played the tri-series match against Zimbabwe on November 18, where Pakistan won by five wickets.
Sri Lankan skipper Dasun Shanaka brushed off concerns of cold weather in Rawalpindi, saying: “cold is not a big problem, we are used to such conditions.
“Different game, and we are ready for that. We need to make sure we do our basics right. Anything beyond 160 is a plus for me. No changes in the team.”
Prior to the tri-series, Pakistan defeated South Africa 2-1 in a three-match home T20 series staged in Rawalpindi and Lahore. This series triumph showed some resurrection for the Green-shirts who lost the T20 Asia Cup decider to arch-rivals India in Dubai in September.
With just over two months left in the 2026 T20 World Cup, both Pakistan and Sri Lanka will be trying their best to leave the Rawalpindi ground with the tri-series trophy.
TEAMS:
Pakistan: Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Babar Azam, Salman Agha (C), Fakhar Zaman, Usman Khan (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Salman Mirza, Abrar Ahmed
Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Kamil Mishara, Kusal Mendis (wk), Kusal Perera, Janith Liyanage, Dasun Shanaka (C), Pavan Rathnayake, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dushmantha Chameera, Maheesh Theekshana, Eshan Malinga
