Pakistan-Sri Lanka 1st T20I Match Preview [Live Stream Available]

Sri Lanka has been at the receiving end in the limited overs cricket throughout the year. A test series victory against Pakistan was a glimpse of positivity for a team which has had a wretched year overall.

Sri Lankan fans will hope that their team comes up with some solid performances against a red-hot Pakistan XI to end a miserable run in the limited overs cricket.

Timing & Venue

The first T20I of the series is scheduled at Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi. The coverage will begin at 9:00 PM Pakistan Standard Time.

Toss & Pitch Report

Abu Dhabi is a low-scoring ground, but low-scores often lead to interesting finishes. An interesting fact is that one of the highest T20 scores came at Abu Dhabi in a match between Ireland and Afghanistan (225).

Dew factor will come into play considering that this is a night fixture.

Playing XI

Pakistan has a settled T20 lineup and not many changes are expected. However, there is tough competition between the fast bowlers. Amir is available for selection while Rumman Raees has done exceptionally well in his absence. Usman Khan’s fiery spell may well earn him a spot in the playing XI over Aamir and Rumman.

Ahmed Shahzad’s T20 form is prolific, considering his impressive batting display against the World XI, making him an automatic choice for the opening slot alonside Fakhar Zaman.

Pakistan

Possible: 1 Ahmed Shehzad, 2 Fakhar Zaman, 3 Babar Azam, 4 Mohammad Hafeez, 5 Shoaib Malik, 6 Sarfraz Ahmed (capt, wk), 7 Imad Wasim, 8 Faheem Ashraf, 9 Shadab Khan, 10 Hasan Ali, 11 Usman Khan

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka will be devastated by the absence of their key players including their ODI and Test captains, along with Angelo Mathews, Dickwella, Lakmal etc. as they’ve raised security concerns for the series.

Thisara Perera will captain the team in the T20 series.

Possible: 1 Dilshan Munaweera, 2 Danushka Gunathilaka, 3 Sadeera Samarawickrama, 4 Mahela Udawatte, 5 Ashan Priyanjan, 6 Dasun Shanaka, 7 Seekkuge Prasanna, 8 Thisara Perera (capt.), 9 Sachith Pathirana, 10 Jeffrey Vandersay, 11 Lahiru Gamage

Form Guide

Sri Lanka may be running low on confidence but they boast a very impressive T20 record this year having won two away series against Australia and South Africa. They also have a completely new side, with players who haven’t really played in ODIs and Tests so they aren’t low on moral.

Pakistan leads the way in head-to-head clashes, having won 4 out of 5 matches.

Live Streaming

The match will be streamed live on PTV Sports YouTube channel.

The match can also be watched live on Ten Sports, Sony Liv and Wickets TV.