Acting Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka won the toss and opted to bat first in Rawalpindi, making three notable changes to the XI that lost their tri-series opener against Zimbabwe. The headline alteration is the inclusion of Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, who becomes the first cricketer born and raised in Jaffna to represent Sri Lanka at a major international level.
At 23, Viyaskanth had previously played a T20I for Sri Lanka at the Asian Games, where the squad fielded was considerably weakened. He replaces Maheesh Theekshana in the lineup, adding a new dimension to Sri Lanka’s bowling attack.
The other two inclusions are both batters: Kamil Mishara and Janith Liyanage, replacing seamer Nuwan Thushara and batter Bhanuka Rajapaksa. Sri Lanka has reverted to a 7-batters and 4-bowlers combination, moving away from the 6-5 setup trialed in their previous match.
On the Pakistan side, the only change is the absence of Shaheen Afridi, sidelined due to a foot injury. Mohammad Wasim has been drafted into the XI, having shown good form in the preceding ODI series.
Pakistan retains the core of its squad, including captain Babar Azam, with a blend of experienced players like Fakhar Zaman and Usman Khan, supported by young talent such as Saim Ayub and Salman Mirza.
Sri Lanka’s batting order sees Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis opening, followed by Mishara, Kusal Janith Perera, and Shanaka in the middle order. The bowling department includes legspinner Viyaskanth, Wanindu Hasaranga, and pacers Dushmantha Chameera and Eshan Malinga, forming a balanced attack.
Pakistan’s lineup features Saim Ayub and Sahibzada Farhan at the top, with Babar Azam anchoring the innings. The seamers Abrar Ahmed, Salman Mirza, and Mohammad Wasim are expected to spearhead Pakistan’s attack, supported by all-rounders Faheem Ashraf and Muhammad Nawaz.
With both teams fielding competitive XIs, the match promises to showcase strategic batting and bowling, along with the debut impact of Viyaskanth adding a historic milestone for Sri Lankan cricket.
