Pakistan won the toss and chose to bowl first against Sri Lanka in the final of the tri-nation one-day international series at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Saturday, Dawn and The Express Tribune reported. Sri Lanka captain Kusal Mendis, who had won every earlier toss in the tournament, lost this one, and Shaheen Shah Afridi asked the visitors to bat.
Team news
Pakistan made one change. All-rounder Faheem Ashraf comes in for Shadab Khan, who was ruled out of the final on medical grounds after being struck by a bouncer in the fifth ODI against Sri Lanka, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said. “Shadab is not feeling well so we have brought in Faheem in his place,” Shaheen said. “We are going with four pacers. We opted to field first as we had in mind that Sri Lanka batted second in the last four games.”
Sri Lanka also made one change, bringing in off-spinner Maheesh Theekshana in place of Eshan Malinga.
Pakistan: Maaz Sadaqat, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Saad Baig (wicketkeeper), Salman Ali Agha, Hasan Nawaz, Arafat Minhas, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Shah Afridi (captain), Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf.
Sri Lanka: Kamindu Mendis, Avishka Fernando, Kusal Mendis (captain and wicketkeeper), Pavan Rathnayake, Sahan Arachchige, Janith Liyanage, Dasun Shanaka, Dunith Wellalage, Maheesh Theekshana, Asitha Fernando, Dilshan Madushanka.
The Tribune reported that Sri Lanka had reached 42 without loss after eight overs.
How the two sides got here
Pakistan reached the final after three straight wins. They beat Sri Lanka by 37 runs in the opening match, England by 87 runs, and then England again by one wicket in Lahore, thanks to an unbeaten 113 from Shadab. The run ended in their last league game, when Sri Lanka bowled them out for 110 and won by eight wickets, with Dilshan Madushanka taking five for 34.
Sri Lanka lost that opening game to Pakistan but then chased down 430 against England in Rawalpindi to win by two wickets. They lost their last league match to England by 55 runs but had already booked a place in the final. Each finalist has therefore beaten the other once.
Background
Pakistan’s batting coach, Mike Smith, said after the 110 all out that he had “zero doubt” that Babar Azam and Fakhar Zaman would deliver in the final; see our report on Mike Smith’s backing for Babar and Fakhar. Both are in the side today. In the same series the ICC fined Haris Rauf for a row with England’s Will Jacks, and he is also playing; see the fine on Haris Rauf.
Why it matters
Sri Lanka have chased well in this series, including the 430 against England, so batting second will not worry them. The toss decision puts weight on Pakistan’s four-man pace attack, which has to take early wickets without Shadab’s spin. At the other end, the Pakistan top order, which collapsed for 110 in the last meeting, needs to bat deep against a disciplined Sri Lankan attack. A win would give Pakistan the trophy at home; a loss would repeat the pattern of the last match. The things to watch are the first ten overs of the Sri Lanka innings, the pace attack’s control, and how Pakistan’s openers handle Madushanka.
This article draws on reporting by Dawn and The Express Tribune.
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