Agha believes that fielding first would benefit his side as he thinks the pitch will not change much. He also said that he wants to set the tone with the bowlers first.
Early wickets for Pak:
Afridi took his second wicket as Pathum Nissanka, in 2.2 overs.
As the openers came on the field after the national anthems, Pakistan saw their first success immediately in the first over when they dismissed Sri Lankan opener and wicketkeeper Kusal Mendis 1-1 on Shaheen Afridi’s ball, Talat caught it comfortably.
Head-to-head
Pakistan leads Sri Lanka in the overall T20I record; however, the Lions have been the dominant side over the last six years.
Pakistan have beaten Sri Lanka 13 out of 23 times, but their last T20I win against the Lions came in 2019.
Teams
Pakistan: Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, Salman Agha (captain), Hussain Talat, Mohammad Haris (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Faheem Ashraf, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed
Sri Lanka: Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (wicket-keeper), Kusal Perera, Charith Asalanka (captain), Dasun Shanaka, Kamindu Mendis, Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne, Maheesh Theekshana, Dushmantha Chameera, and Nuwan Thushara.
Whats at stake?
That result has left Pakistan in a tricky position. To qualify directly for the final, Salman Ali Agha’s men must beat Sri Lanka on Tuesday and then overcome Bangladesh on Thursday. They would also need India to defeat Bangladesh in their remaining Super Four fixture.
However, if Pakistan loses against Sri Lanka, they will not be knocked out straight away but will then rely heavily on other results. In that scenario, they would need India to beat both Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, while also defeating Bangladesh themselves by a big margin to stand a chance of reaching the final on net run rate.
For Sri Lanka, a win against Pakistan would strengthen their chances, though they too might still need favorable results to book a spot in the title clash. Bangladesh, after their dramatic win, remains very much in the hunt as well.
The qualification picture will become clearer when Pakistan faces Sri Lanka on Tuesday in what is shaping up to be a must-win clash for both sides.