• Home
  • Match Hub
  • Sri Lanka Win The Toss Elect To Bat Pakistan Drop Fakhar Zaman

Sri Lanka Win The Toss & Elect To Bat, Pakistan Drop Fakhar Zaman

image-lnk26ax5Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bat first (AP News)

In the ICC World Cup 2023 clash between Pakistan and Sri Lanka in Hyderabad, the toss proved to be a game-changer. Sri Lanka won the toss and made a bold decision to bat first. This strategic move aimed to take advantage of the favorable batting conditions early in the game, hoping to post a challenging total for Pakistan to chase. 

On the other front, Babar Azam revealed that Fakhar Zaman will not be playing against Sri Lanka instead Abdullah Shafique enters the playing XI.

Upon winning the coin toss, SL skipper Dasun Shanaka said:

"We will bat first. There is some turn on the surface and we want to put the runs on the board. Good to get some runs under their belt and happy to contribute to the team. We have one change today. Maheesh Theekshana comes back in the side. The bowlers went for plenty of runs and we know what to do to restrict runs and do well there. Beating Pakistan will be tough. We want to execute our game plan and hit the right areas if we want to win today. A tough game awaits us all."    

Meanwhile, Babar Azam looked a little disheartened after losing the toss and said: 

" We are bowling first. The pitch looks very dry and tired. We will try to put pressure on them and restrict them. First ten overs are very crucial for us. We are not up to the mark at the top. Yes, we have one change. Abdullah Shafique comes in as an opener for Fakhar Zaman.Yes, we have a good record against Sri Lanka, and hopefully, that confidence comes into play today as well. We will have an advantage on this, and hopefully, we will do well."

Sri Lanka Playing XI: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis (wk), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Dasun Shanaka (c), Dhananjaya de Silva, Dunith Wellalage, Matheesha Pathirana, Dilshan Madushanka, Maheesh Theekshana

Pakistan Playing XI: Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf