Pakistan won the toss and opted to play first in the final of the tri-nation T20 series against Sri Lanka at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Saturday.
The Salman Ali Agha-led hosts, who won three of the four round-robin matches at the event that also featured Zimbabwe, will look to continue their good show that was soured by a six-run loss to Sri Lanka on Thursday night at the same venue.
“It’s not a typical Pindi pitch, but it’s still a 160-170 pitch,” captain Salman said after the toss.
“We just need to play good cricket. We are good enough to beat anyone. We want to play this like any other game. We have one change: Shaheen is back, Wasim is not playing.”
Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka played down concerns about the cold weather in Rawalpindi, saying: “The cold is not a big problem, we are used to such conditions.
“It’s a different game and we are prepared for it. We need to make sure we do the basics right. Anything beyond 160 is a plus for me. There are no changes in the team.”
Before the tri-series, Pakistan defeated South Africa 2-1 in a three-match home T20 series held in Rawalpindi and Lahore. This series triumph showed a certain resurrection for the green shirts who lost the Asia Cup T20 decider against arch-rivals India in Dubai in September.
With just over two months to go T20 World Cup 2026Both Pakistan and Sri Lanka will try their best to leave the Rawalpindi field 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
