On Saturday, November 29, Pakistan and Sri Lanka faced off in the much-anticipated final of the tri-series involving Zimbabwe at Rawalpindi Stadium. This marked the third clash between the two sides in just a week.
At the toss, Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha won and opted to field first, citing the typical dew conditions in Rawalpindi. Pakistan made one change to their playing XI, with Shaheen Afridi returning in place of Waseem. Sri Lanka retained the same XI as in their previous game.
Playing XIs
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
Pakistan: Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Babar Azam, Salman Ali Agha (c), Fakhar Zaman, Usman Khan (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Salman Mirza, Abrar Ahmed
Captains’ thoughts ahead of the final
Salman Ali Agha: “We are going to bowl first. It is a typical Pindi pitch, with dew coming in, so we hope to chase it down under lights. We need to treat it like any other game; if you start treating it like a final, it could go either way. Our plan is to execute consistently across the 40 overs. Shaheen is back, and Waseem is not playing.”
Dasun Shanaka (Sri Lanka): “The cold isn’t much of a problem anymore, as we’ve adjusted to the conditions. Pakistan have been strong throughout the competition, but we come into this game with confidence from our last match, where we batted first and defended well. It’s a new game, and we’re ready for what’s ahead.”
