Captain Shaheen Shah Afridi missed out due to a flu as Pakistan won the toss and chose to bowl first in the second One-day International at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Friday.
The pacer has been replaced by fellow fast bowler Mohammad Wasim Junior, while all-rounder Faheem Ashraf has been rested as spinner Abrar Ahmed returned to the XI, stand-in captain Salman Ali Agha said at the toss.
With the match, the focus shifts back to the field after a day and a night of turbulence.
The encounter — Pakistan’s opportunity to wrap up their second successive ODI series — comes after 48 hours of uncertainty that threatened to overshadow the cricket itself.
The match was originally slated for Thursday, but the schedule was thrown into disarray after a terror attack in Islamabad on Tuesday sparked understandable concern within the Sri Lankan camp.
Reports soon emerged that several visiting players were contemplating abandoning the tour altogether.
The uncertainty prompted urgent intervention from Pakistan’s interior minister and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who, along with the country’s top security officials, held lengthy discussions with the Sri Lankan delegation to assure them of their safety.
By late Wednesday night, the situation had stabilised. Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) reaffirmed its commitment to completing the series.
Speculation that a few Sri Lankan players would fly home and be replaced by fresh faces was swiftly denied by the team’s manager, who confirmed there would be no changes to the touring party.
That assurance meant the visitors would field a full-strength line-up in Rawalpindi as they attempt to level the three-match series following a narrow defeat in the opener.
In the first ODI, Pakistan’s six-run victory owed much to a remarkable century by Salman Ali Agha and a fiery spell of fast bowling from Haris Rauf.
The two combined to restrict Sri Lankan dominance at crucial junctures before the match went Pakistan’s way.
Salman, coming in with his side struggling at 76-3, stitched together a crucial 138-run partnership with Hussain Talat to lift Pakistan to a defendable total.
Haris then ripped through Sri Lanka’s top order with four wickets, halting their chase just when it appeared they were cruising.
Shaheen’s men, however, will be aware that they cannot rely on individual brilliance alone. Their top order faltered once again, scoring just 76 in the first 20 overs, a familiar pattern that has left Pakistan’s middle order under constant pressure in recent months.
The bowling, too, lacked discipline early on, as Sri Lanka raced to 85 in 12 overs before Haris’ intervention.
Sri Lanka captain Charith Asalanka, meanwhile, will take heart from his side’s aggressive start in the first match but lamented the lack of composure during key phases.
The visitors also found themselves on the wrong side of fortune, having burned both their reviews early before one tight lbw shout against Hussain that replays later suggested could have gone either way.
With the series on the line, both teams will look to regroup mentally after the off-field turbulence. Pakistan will want to build on their momentum and seal the contest, while Sri Lanka will hope to draw inspiration from their composure in adversity.
Teams:
SRI LANKA: Pathum Nissanka, Kamil Mishara, Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka (captain), Janith Liyanage, Kamindu Mendis, Wanindu Hasaranga, Pramod Madushan, Dushmantha Chameera, Asitha Fernando
PAKISTAN: Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayub, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan (wicket-keeper), Salman Ali Agha (captain), Hussain Talat, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jr., Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Abrar Ahmed
