Sahibzada Farhan will captain Pakistan on home soil for the first time when the hosts face Sri Lanka on Friday. The opening T20I takes place at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on October 9.
The same venue hosts the remaining matches on October 11 and 13. All three games begin at 6pm Pakistan time, with the toss scheduled for 5.30pm.
Friday’s opener will mark the 250th international fixture between the countries. It also begins their ninth bilateral T20I series.
Pakistan enter the contest after winning silver at the Asian Games. They trained for three hours on Wednesday and planned another session on Thursday evening.
Farhan backs squad’s balance
“It is a great responsibility and challenge to be leading Pakistan and I’m equally excited to do this for the first time in front of our fans. We have got a good blend of youth and experience in the squad with all bases covered. It is going to be an exciting series against Sri Lanka and we hope to entertain the fans,” Farhan said.
Pakistan’s 15-player squad includes uncapped pacers Razaullah and Muhammad Imran Randhawa. Naseem Shah could make his first T20I appearance since facing Sri Lanka in February.
Mohammad Salman Mirza completes the specialist pace options. Abrar Ahmad, ranked second among T20I bowlers in the PCB’s preview, leads a varied spin attack.
Wrist-spinners Shadab Khan and Sufiyan Moqim join left-arm spinner Arafat Minhas, while Saim Ayub offers off-spin.
Khawaja Mohammad Nafay will take the gloves. Fakhar Zaman adds experience to a batting group featuring Farhan, Maaz Sadaqat and the in-form Hasan Nawaz and Abdul Samad.
Sri Lanka seek turnaround
Sri Lanka captain Kusal Mendis expects a closely fought contest.
“It feels good to be back in Pakistan and we are building up well for this three-match T20I series. The contest is expected to be of high intensity and we will look to make turn the results around for our team. Both the teams have got talented and skillful players in their respective squads, which adds to the quality of cricket.”
Pakistan lead the T20I head-to-head with 18 wins from 30 meetings; Sri Lanka have won 12. Pakistan also hold four bilateral series victories, while three series ended level.
Sri Lanka’s only bilateral series win came through a 3-0 sweep in Lahore in 2019.
Live coverage and tickets
PTV Sports will televise the series in Pakistan. PCB Live, Tapmad and Tamasha will provide streaming.
PCB Live also covers the United Kingdom, North America, Caribbean, Europe and Africa. Fans can purchase tickets at pcb.tcs.com.pk or nine designated TCS Express Centres across Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
Aamir Sohail, Salman Butt, Urooj Mumtaz Khan, Bazid Khan and Roshan Abeysinghe form the commentary team.
After the T20Is, Pakistan will contest a seven-match ODI tri-series against England and Sri Lanka. Rawalpindi hosts the opening three fixtures before the competition moves to Lahore.
Complete broadcast guide
| Territory | Broadcaster or streaming service |
|---|---|
| Pakistan | PTV Sports; PCB Live, Tapmad and Tamasha |
| North America | Willow TV, television and digital; PCB Live |
| Sri Lanka | Dialog, Peo TV and Siyatha TV, television and digital |
| Bangladesh | TSports television; Tapmad digital subscription |
| Middle East and North Africa | Cricbuzz, television and digital |
| Australia | Fox Sports, television and digital |
| United Kingdom | ARY television; PCB Live |
| India | Veto digital |
| Europe, Africa and Caribbean | PCB Live |
| Rest of world, excluding Africa and Caribbean | Sports Central / Sports TV |
Pakistan squad: Sahibzada Farhan (captain), Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmed, Arafat Minhas, Fakhar Zaman, Hasan Nawaz, Muhammad Imran Randhawa, Khawaja Nafay (wicketkeeper), Maaz Sadaqat, Naseem Shah, Razaullah, Saim Ayub, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Shadab Khan and Sufiyan Moqim.
Sri Lanka squad: Kusal Mendis (captain), Kamil Mishara, Sineth Jayawardena, Lahiru Udara, Sahan Arachchige, Kamindu Mendis, Dasun Shanaka, Chamindu Wickramasinghe, Dunith Wellalage, Maheesh Theekshana, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, Dushmantha Chameera, Binura Fernando, Nuwan Thushara and Eshan Malinga.
Pakistan team management: Naveed Akram Cheema (manager), Mike Hesson (head coach), Shaun Tait (bowling coach), Michael Smith (batting coach), Mansoor Amjad (fielding coach), Muhammad Tahir (physiotherapist), Grant Luden (strength and conditioning coach), Nabeel Edger Pace (Sri Lanka T20I team analyst), Usman Hashmi (tri-series team analyst), Shafqat Shabbir (Rawalpindi-leg media manager), Syed Nazir Ahmed (Lahore-leg media manager), Col. Usman Anwari (security manager), Dr. Wajid Ali Rafai (team doctor) and Muhammad Ehsan (masseur).
