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Pakistan to face Sri Lanka in First T20I on Wednesday (Source: AFP)
Pakistan are set to kick off their ICC T20 World Cup 2026 preparations with the three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka. The Men in Green will take on the hosts in the first T20I of the series on Wednesday, January 7 at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium.
Pakistan will play in the T20I series against Sri Lanka without their two key players, Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi.
Both the players were not available for selection as Babar Azam is currently playing in BBL 2025-26, while Shaheen is out of action due to the injury he sustained during his BBL stint. T20I series against the Islanders will also be crucial for Pakistan, given the fact that all of their T20 World Cup 2026 matches will be played in Sri Lanka.
With World T20 matches scheduled in the same conditions just a month later, the Men in Green are expected to plan their playing XI accordingly. It will also give them insight into the conditions in which they will be playing in the prestigious cricket biennial.
That said, here’s a look at the Pakistan’s predicted playing XI for the T20I series opener against Sri Lanka.
Pakistan Playing XI vs Sri Lanka - 1st T20I
Openers and Top Order - Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, and Sahibzada Farhan
The visitors could go ahead with the blistering pair of Saim Ayub and Fakhar Zaman to open the innings in the first T20I.
Saim and Fakhar will be coming off the T20 experience in the Bangladesh Premier League and the ILT20, respectively. Having a game simulation is expected to help them in the T20Is against Sri Lanka.
Following Saim Ayub and Fakhar Zaman, Sahibzada Farhan will be a good fit to bat at number three in the anchor role. He could stabilize the innings if any of the openers get dismissed early in the powerplay phase of the innings.
Middle Order and All-Rounders - Usman Khan (WK), Salman Ali Agha (C), Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, and Faheem Ashraf
Pakistan’s middle-order is expected to start with the wicketkeeper-batter Usman Khan at number four. He could be a good fit at number four, considering his T20I career’s only half-century at this batting position. Furthermore, skipper Salman Ali Agha will be there to bat at number five.
All-rounders Shadab Khan and Mohammad Nawaz could play a crucial role with their power-hitting while batting in the lower middle order.
They can also deliver some crucial overs with the ball for Pakistan in Sri Lanka’s spin-friendly conditions. Pace-bowling all-rounder Faheem Ashraf might bat at number eight to hit some impactful runs in the death overs.
Bowlers - Naseem Shah, Salman Mirza, and Abrar Ahmed
In the absence of Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah will lead the pace attack, alongside left-arm pacer Salman Mirza. The Naseem-Salman duo will be the like-for-like replacements for Shaheen and Haris as right-arm and left-arm pacers.
Naseem Shah will be coming off a fantastic run in the recently concluded ILT20, where he claimed 12 wickets in eight innings at an economy rate of 6.97 for the Desert Vipers.
As soon as the spin starts getting assistance in Dambulla, the visitors can look forward to Abrar Ahmed to deliver a few crucial overs in the middle-over phase. He can be there in Pakistan playing XI for the first T20I as the only specialist spinner.
PAK Playing XI vs SL - 1st T20I 2026 - Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, Sahibzada Farhan, Usman Khan (WK), Salman Ali Agha (C), Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Naseem Shah, Salman Mirza, and Abrar Ahmed.
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