Pakistan will look to extend their winning run in white ball cricket as they face Sri Lanka in a three match ODI series, beginning Today at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced.
“All three matches will begin at 2:30 pm, with the toss taking place at 2 pm local time,” the statement said. The remaining two ODIs will be played at the same venue on 13 and 15 November.
Shaheen Afridi: ‘our focus is to carry the winning momentum forward’
Pakistan ODI captain Shaheen Shah Afridi shared his opinions on Pakistan’s preparation for the ODI series against Sri Lanka.
“The series win against South Africa in Faisalabad was a great boost for our confidence,” said Afridi. “It was my first series as ODI captain and I was really proud of the way the players responded to different situations and played as a unit. The energy, intent and teamwork were outstanding.”
Afridi added:
“Going into the Sri Lanka series, our focus is to carry that winning momentum forward. We want to build consistency in our performances and make sure that we keep improving as a team in every department.”
He added while talking on the strengths of Sri Lanka,
“Sri Lanka are a disciplined side and always challenge you with their skills. We will need to play smart cricket, stick to our plans and stay positive. The goal is to keep developing as a team and to continue giving our fans performances they can be proud of.”
Head to Head and past records
Pakistan and Sri Lanka have faced each other in 157 ODIs in the past with Pakistan winning 93 and Sri Lanka 59.
Among the current squad members, Babar Azam stands out with an “impressive record against Sri Lanka. In 12 ODIs, the right-handed batter has scored 535 runs at an average of 53.50, including three centuries and one half-century, with a highest score of 115 in Karachi during 2019 series.”
Upcoming fixtures and future series
After this ODI series Pakistan and Sri Lanka will feature in a tri-nation T20I series featuring Zimbabwe scheduled from 17 to 29 November in Rawalpindi and Lahore.
15 member ODI squad of Pakistan
Shaheen Shah Afridi (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Faisal Akram, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah, Hussain Talat, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (wicket-keeper), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha.
Broadcast and commentary details
The ODI series will be broadcast live on A-Sports and Ten Sports in Pakistan, and live-streamed on Tapmad and Tamasha. International viewers can watch on Willow TV (North America), SuperSport (sub-Saharan Africa), Supreme TV and Dialog TV (Sri Lanka), TSports (Bangladesh), and Cricbuzz (Middle East, North Africa, and Southeast Asia).
The commentary panel features “former Test captains Aamir Sohail and Waqar Younis, joined by Sri Lanka’s Russel Arnold and Roshan Abeysinghe,” alongside former Pakistan women’s captain Urooj Mumtaz. Zainab Abbas will continue as series presenter.
