Pakistan Playing XI vs Sri Lanka-Pakistan T20I Tri Series 2025 Match 3:
Openers: Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub
Pakistan would want to get their batting performances in order if they want to deliver a full performance in the upcoming match against Sri Lanka as they have made things difficult for themselves in the hunt for the tri-series opener.
The Men in Green found themselves in trouble as they chased a target of 148 runs after being reduced to 54-4, and it took an all-round effort from Mohammad Nawaz to get the team over the line.
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For that to happen, the home side would rely on their openers and batsman number three to get the side off to a good start and score the bulk of the runs for the side.
The opening pair of Sahibzada Farhan and Saim Ayub, who have shown glimpses of what they are capable of, have not been able to perform consistently and will be hoping to do so in the match against Sri Lanka.
Individually too, both players have been hit and miss as they have failed to convert the start they had on most occasions, which is what they will have in mind while batting in the first six overs.
If Farhan and Ayub come into bat, it would boost the hosts’ chances of winning as the middle order will have a platform to take advantage of both while batting first or in the chase.
Middle-order batsmen and all-rounders: Babar Azam, Salman Agha (c), Usman Khan (wk), Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf
If we talk about the middle order, it underwent a lot of changes in the first match. Most striking of all was Fakhar Zaman’s batting position.
Fakhar, who is an opener, came to bat at number five to negotiate the spinners, which could be part of a long-term strategy given the southpaw’s attacking gameplay against the spinners.
Apart from Fakhar, another newcomer in the middle order was Usman Khan, who has had a handful of chances so far but has capitalized on them by forging a crucial partnership with Fakhar and Mohammad Nawaz to take the team home.
Amid the bailout of the team’s lower middle order, the team management is said to be somewhat concerned about the form of captain Salman Ali Agha, who has not been able to get going since he became captain.
The hosts would desperately want him to score runs against Sri Lanka along with Babar Azam, who was dismissed for a duck against Zimbabwe.
Bowlers: Shaheen Afridi, Salman Mirza, Abrar Ahmed
As far as Pakistan’s bowling is concerned, it did its job in favorable conditions for the bowlers in the first match and would like to repeat the same performance against Sri Lanka.
The Men in Green could rest ODI captain and veteran fast bowler Shaheen Afridi due to the rotation policy that the team has been following for quite some time when it comes to bowling resources.
There could be a scenario where Abrar Ahmed is rested and Pakistan brings an extra sealer depending on the nature of the wicket.
The only name likely to feature in the playing XI is that of Mohammad Nawaz as he has been in excellent form with both bat and ball in recent months.
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