Pakistan-Sri Lanka 3rd T20I Match Preview [Live Stream Available]

The feelings of a high-profile cricket match in Pakistan are back and Lahore is ready to welcome their guests: a team which was attacked by terrorist attacks in 2009.

After a nervy second T20I, Pakistan gets to lift the trophy in front of home crowd. It may be a dead rubber, but Pakistanis will turn in huge numbers to support cricket and display their love for the game.

Timing & Venue

Gaddafi Stadium Lahore is ready to host yet another international fixture, and it promises to be a cracker. The atmosphere will be electric and Lahoris, in particular, will have their banners ready for their guests who left behind their security fears to travel to a country which supported them in their civil war days.

The match will begin at 6:00 pm Pakistan Standard Time to avoid the dew factor.

Toss & Pitch Report

The team winning the toss will look to bat first but we’ve seen Sarfaraz opting to chase considering his bowling strength.

The pitch is a typical Gaddafi pitch, offering good scoring opportunities to the batsmen while also helping the slower bowlers.

Playing XI

Pakistan

Sarfaraz has the opportunity to test their bench strength, but everyone would love to be a part of the playing XI in front of the passionate fans. This will be Usman Shinwari’s first match in Pakistan if he features in the XI.

Sarfaraz likes to stick with a winning combination though.

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

After giving a good performance in the second match, the Thisara-led team will hope to end the tour on a high and end their wretched year in limited overs cricket.

We may see the same XI that featured in the close-contest on Friday night, however, Gamage may get a chance this time around.

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 JRMVB Sanjaya, 11 Lahiru Gamage

Form Guide

Pakistan has dominated Sri Lanka in the limited overs cricket in this tour, winning 7 out of 7 games.

Sri Lanka looked good in patches but, they’re lacking the x-factor from some of their senior players. Thisara bowled well but failed to perform with the bat. Sri Lanka has decent pinch hitters including Prasanna, Thisara, and even Shanaka, however, they’ve looked below par in the T20 series.

Thisara has good memories from his previous tour to the country, where he handed a victory to the World XI courtesy his enormous hitting prowess.

Live Streaming

There’s no better alternative to PTV Sports YouTube live streaming.

You can also tune into Wickets TV for live streaming of the 3rd T20I.

What to Expect

Pakistanis are hoping for a close contest and Sri Lankan fans will pray for a win despite their team’s dismal run in the limited overs cricket.

One thing is for sure; Lahore’s crowd will support good cricket and not just one team.