RAWALPINDI: Pakistan begin a new chapter in T20I cricket on Friday as Sahibzada Farhan leads the national side for the first time in a three-match home series against Sri Lanka at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.
The opening T20I will start at 6pm Pakistan Standard Time, with the toss scheduled for 5:30pm. The remaining two matches will be played at the same venue on October 11 and 13.
For Farhan, the series represents his first assignment as Pakistan’s T20I captain and a significant leadership challenge. The 33-year-old said he was proud of the opportunity and confident that Pakistan could make a winning start.
“It is a huge honour for me and my family to represent Pakistan as captain. I am very excited about this new challenge. We will make our best effort to win this series,”
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Farhan said at a press conference in Rawalpindi.
Farhan ready for leadership pressure
Farhan admitted that captaincy brings additional pressure but said he would not allow the responsibility to affect his individual performance.
“There is definitely pressure because you are leading from the front and there are ten players behind you. As captain, you have to set an example through your performance, fielding and attitude. But you cannot allow that pressure to get on top of you,” he said.
He believes his previous experience of captaining at domestic level will help him handle the challenge.
Pakistan enter the series with confidence after winning a silver medal in the men’s cricket competition at the recently concluded Asian Games.
The team trained for three hours at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Wednesday and will hold another practice session on Thursday evening.
Youth and experience in Pakistan squad
Pakistan’s 15-member squad includes uncapped players Razaullah and Muhammad Imran Randhawa, while fast bowler Naseem Shah is in line to return to T20I cricket after last playing against Sri Lanka in February.
The bowling attack offers a strong combination of pace and spin. ICC’s second-ranked T20I bowler Abrar Ahmed will lead the spin department alongside Shadab Khan, Sufiyan Moqim and Arafat Minhas, while Saim Ayub provides another off-spin option.
Naseem, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Razaullah and Imran Randhawa form the pace options.
At the top of the order, experienced batter Fakhar Zaman adds firepower alongside Maaz Sadaqat, Farhan, Hasan Nawaz and Abdul Samad.
Khawaja Mohammad Nafay is expected to take the wicketkeeping gloves.
Farhan indicated that Fakhar is likely to open alongside him, with the captain valuing the left-right combination.
“We played with Fakhar in the last game and he played a very good innings. The right-left combination is also important in T20 cricket, so most probably we will go with that combination,” he said.
Pakistan targeting aggressive T20 approach
The new captain wants Pakistan to embrace the modern, high-tempo nature of T20 cricket.
“T20 cricket has become very fast. We will try to apply that mindset in the series. We have players like Fakhar Zaman and Hasan Nawaz who can play that brand of cricket, so I am confident in my team,” Farhan said.
He also warned against taking Sri Lanka lightly.
“In international cricket, there is no small or big team. Whether it is Zimbabwe or any other side, there is always pressure. International cricket is not easy, so we have to approach every game seriously.”
Door remains open for Babar Azam
Farhan also addressed questions about former Pakistan captain Babar Azam, stressing that the national team remained open to every player.
“Babar is one of the best players. Everyone knows that he has been among the top-ranked players. But I have these 15 best players available to me and my job is to take them onto the field and get the best out of them,” he said.
“Babar can come back at any time. This is the Pakistan team; it does not belong to one person. The doors are open for everyone. Sometimes we will be out and sometimes we will come back.”
Pakistan dominate head-to-head record
Pakistan and Sri Lanka have met 30 times in T20I cricket, with Pakistan winning 18 matches and Sri Lanka 12.
The teams have contested eight bilateral T20I series. Pakistan have won four, while three series ended in draws. Sri Lanka’s only bilateral series victory came in 2019 when they swept Pakistan 3-0 in Lahore.
Friday’s opening match will also mark the 250th international cricket fixture between Pakistan and Sri Lanka across formats.
Sri Lanka captain Kusal Mendis said his side was ready for a competitive series and hoped to reverse its fortunes against Pakistan.
“It feels good to be back in Pakistan and we are building up well for this three-match T20I series. The contest is expected to be of high intensity and we will look to turn the results around for our team,” Mendis said.
Rawalpindi crowd expected to play its part
Farhan has called on local supporters to fill the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium and back the national team.
“The crowd is always good in Rawalpindi and I hope the stadium will be packed again. If there is no crowd, we don’t enjoy it as much either. The fans are important to us. Hopefully, they will enjoy the series and support us,” he said.
Tickets are available online through the PCB ticketing platform, while fans can also purchase them from nine designated TCS Express Centres in Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
Where to watch Pakistan vs Sri Lanka T20Is
The series will be broadcast live on PTV Sports in Pakistan. Fans can also stream the matches through the PCB Live app, with Tapmad and Tamasha also providing streaming coverage.
The PCB Live app will additionally stream the matches in the United Kingdom, North America, Caribbean, Europe and Africa.
The international broadcast network includes Willow TV in North America, Dialog, Peo TV and Siyatha TV in Sri Lanka, TSports in Bangladesh, Cricbuzz in the MENA region, Fox Sports in Australia, ARY in the UK, Veto in India and Sports Central/Sports TV across the rest of the world, excluding Africa and the Caribbean.
Pakistan T20I squad
Sahibzada Farhan (captain), Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmed, Arafat Minhas, Fakhar Zaman, Hasan Nawaz, Muhammad Imran Randhawa, Khawaja Nafay (wicketkeeper), Maaz Sadaqat, Naseem Shah, Razaullah, Saim Ayub, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Shadab Khan and Sufiyan Moqim.
Sri Lanka T20I squad
Kusal Mendis (captain), Kamil Mishara, Sineth Jayawardena, Lahiru Udara, Sahan Arachchige, Kamindu Mendis, Dasun Shanaka, Chamindu Wickramasinghe, Dunith Wellalage, Maheesh Theekshana, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, Dushmantha Chameera, Binura Fernando, Nuwan Thushara and Eshan Malinga.
