Pakistan 67/6 in 16.1 Overs | Pakistan vs Sri Lanka PAK vs SL Live score, ODI Tri-Series

Pakistan vs Sri Lanka PAK vs SL Live Score, ODI Tri-Series: Sri Lanka captain Kusal Mendis won the toss and elected to field Pakistan in their final encounter. Both teams made their decisions keeping the dew factor in mind, with the Sri Lankan skipper backing his batting unit to chase down the target.

Pakistan captain Shaheen Afridi said his team would also prefer to watch first as dew is expected in the second half. Pakistan made two changes to their playing eleven, bringing back Maaz Sadaqat and Naseem Shah in place of Saim Ayub and Razaullah.

Dew factor behind Sri Lanka’s decision

Kusal Mendis explained his pitching decision: “I think there is some dew coming in the second innings. That’s the first reason. And I believe in our batting unit. The boys batted really well in the last game.”

Sri Lanka start in the same combination as in the previous match. Mendis said he was happy with the bowling unit, especially its performance in the power play.

On Sri Lanka’s successful chase of 430 against England, Mendis said: “I think we made (some) really good partnerships and managed the whole process and Janith (Liyanage), Pavan Rathnayake, Dasun (Shanaka), Avishka (Fernando) batted really well. Then we had a lot of fun in the dressing room, I’m very happy.”

Speaking about the team combination, he added: “We (go) to the same combination because the power-play guys played really well. I’m very happy (with) the bowling unit.”

Shaheen Afridi boosts Pakistan’s bowling attack

Pakistan captain Shaheen Afridi agreed that bowling first would be a good option, saying: “We would also bowl first because there is a bit of dew in the second half.”

Reflecting on Pakistan’s last match against England, Afridi said: “Amazing match. I have never seen a match like that. Good sign for Pakistan. You know, any player can come and win a match for us, which is good.”

Afridi believes a total of 290-300 could be competitive on the surface, given Pakistan’s bowling strength.

“I feel at 290-300 and then the kind of bowling we have, so I (would) be happy with that,” he said.

Confirming the changes in the Pakistan side, Afridi said: “We have two changes. Saim Ayub and Razaullah are out, Maaz Sadaqat and Naseem Shah are back.”

Aamer Sohail expects consistent pace and bounce

Former Pakistan batsman Aamer Sohail expects the pitch to offer good batting conditions with consistent pace and bounce, although there could be some help from the bowlers early on.

“Looks like a belter. It’s rock hard with a lot of grass coverage and I think it’s going to offer consistent pace and bounce. But it might offer a little bit of grip initially for a few overs, just a few overs. Other than that, I think this course should behave.”

Playing XI

Pakistan: Maaz Sadaqat, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Saad Baig (wk), Salman Agha, Hasan Nawaz, Arafat Minhas, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Afridi (c), Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf.

Sri Lanka: Kamindu Mendis, Avishka Fernando, Kusal Mendis (c & wk), Pavan Rathnayake, Janith Liyanage, Dasun Shanaka, Sahan Arachchige, Dunith Wellalage, Eshan Malinga, Asitha Fernando, Dilshan Madushanka.