Three-match series begins Friday in Rawalpindi as new-look Pakistan seek to impress
KARACHI: Pakistan’s T20 squad will hold its first training session on Wednesday (today) ahead of the opening game of the three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka at the Pindi Stadium Rawalpindi, on Friday.
All players and officials of the hosts assembled in the federal on Tuesday night to kick-start their preparation for the series.
Sri Lanka’s travelling contingent was scheduled to be completed on Tuesday as their last five members were due to land in the federal capital.
Eight players and five officials of the visiting side arrived in Rawalpindi on Sunday night, while five reached on Monday morning.
Sri Lanka also held their training session on Tuesday in order to fine-tune for the opener after taking a sound rest.
The series will mark the start of a busy home season for Pakistan. It will be followed by an ODI tri-series also featuring England and a two-Test series against Sri Lanka, part of the World Test Championship 2025-27 cycle.
All three T20Is will be played at Pindi Stadium on October 9, 11 and 13. The matches will begin at 6pm, with the toss scheduled for 5:30pm.
The series promises an intriguing contest, with Pakistan holding the upper hand in their head-to-head record. Pakistan have won 18 of their 31 T20Is against Sri Lanka, while Sri Lanka have recorded 13 victories.
Sri Lanka, however, have fond memories of their last full-fledged T20I series in Pakistan. In October 2019, they stunned the hosts with a 3-0 clean sweep under Dasun Shanaka, with Sarfaraz Ahmed leading Pakistan.
Sri Lanka have struggled in recent bilateral series, losing 2-1 to the West Indies in June before suffering a 3-0 whitewash against England in England last month. Their Asian Games campaign also ended in the semi-finals against India.
For Pakistan, the series will be their first T20I assignment since the T20 World Cup, jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka, earlier this year. They had swept Australia 3-0 in their previous home T20I series before the global tournament.
The spotlight will be firmly on new captain Sahibzada Farhan, who has replaced Agha Salman. Farhan recently led Pakistan at the Asian Games in Japan, but his captaincy came under scrutiny after India posted 211 in the final before restricting Pakistan to 192-6.
Agha Salman, who has also lost his place in the T20 squad, led Pakistan in 50 T20Is, winning 31 and losing 19. Pakistan exited the T20 World Cup at the group stage under his leadership.
The selectors have also introduced two fresh faces in fast bowler Razaullah and all-rounder Muhammad Imran Randhawa, both of whom recently made their Test debuts against England at Edgbaston.
Razaullah has attracted attention for his pace bowling and powerful hitting, while Randhawa provides an additional batting option.
Khawaja Nafay is set to take over wicket-keeping duties, having previously played as a specialist batsman during the T20 World Cup, where Usman Khan kept wickets.
Nafay’s inclusion adds further firepower to a batting line-up featuring Saim Ayub, Hasan Nawaz, Abdul Samad, Fakhar Zaman, Sahibzada Farhan and Maaz Sadaqat.
Abdul Samad produced a match-winning innings against Bangladesh in the Asian Games semi-final, while Hasan Nawaz struck 96 in Pakistan’s defeat against India in the final.
Former Australian pacer Shaun Tait will act as bowling coach. Tait has replaced Ashley Noffke who has entered into a deal with Holland as their head coach. Noffke was part of Pakistan’s support staff during the Nagoya Asian Games.
Pakistan squad: Sahibzada Farhan (captain), Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmed, Arafat Minhas, Fakhar Zaman, Hasan Nawaz, Muhammad Imran Randhawa, Khawaja Nafay (wicket-keeper), Maaz Sadaqat, Naseem Shah, Razaullah, Saim Ayub, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Shadab Khan and Sufiyan Moqim.
