Sri Lanka’s toss decision

Skipper Dasun Shanaka explained, “Used wicket, so we would like to bat first. Three games have been played on this. We didn’t have dew in the last game so I expect the pitch to stay the same throughout.”

Sri Lanka made three changes, bringing in Janith Liyanage, Kamil Mishara, and debutant Vijayakanth Viyaskanth. The team looked to bounce back after their heavy defeat to Zimbabwe in the previous match.

Pakistan’s lineup and strategy

Pakistan captain Salman Agha revealed, “We actually wanted to bat first. Wanted to put an above par score and try to restrict them. But it doesn’t matter now. We have played six games here. It’s usually a high-scoring venue.”

Pakistan made one change, with Mohammad Wasim Jr replacing Shaheen Afridi. The batting order featured Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, and Usman Khan, aiming to exploit Rawalpindi’s batting-friendly conditions.

Pitch report and expectations

Commentator Pommie Mbangwa described the surface: “A whole lot of cracks and dryness, there are spike marks as well. If there is dew later on, it would be better to bat second.

This generally is a good surface in Pindi. Twenty-five times in 36 matches, 200 has actually been scored.” His remarks suggested that while batting first may be tricky, big totals are possible with careful shot selection.

Series context

Sri Lanka entered the match under pressure, having no points in the tri-series, while Pakistan carried momentum from their opening win.

With Pakistan recently sweeping Sri Lanka 3-0 in ODIs, the visitors faced the challenge of proving their resilience in the shortest format. The Rawalpindi crowd settled in for what promised to be a high-intensity contest.