Pakistan Field First in High-Stakes Rawalpindi Thriller

News Desk

Rawalpindi: Pakistan won the toss and elected to field in the third ODI against Sri Lanka on Sunday, choosing to chase on the same batting-friendly wicket that produced a run-fest in the series opener. With the hosts having already sealed the series, both teams made sweeping changes to test their bench strength.

Pakistan introduced four new faces for the final match. Youngster Haseebullah Khan made his ODI debut at the top of the order, replacing Saim Ayub, while Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah and Abrar Ahmed were rested.

Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Wasim Jr and left-arm spinner Faisal Akram returned to the XI as Pakistan looked to experiment under captain Shaheen Afridi.

Sri Lanka also made four changes, with captain Charith Asalanka ruled out due to illness. Kusal Mendis stepped in as skipper and wicketkeeper. Middle-order batter Pavan Rathnayake, pacer Eshan Malinga, and spinner Jeffrey Vandersay were drafted in for their first appearance of the series.

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A high-scoring contest is expected once again on the flat Rawalpindi surface, with both sides eyeing strong performances from their revamped lineups.

Playing XIs

Pakistan: Fakhar Zaman, Haseebullah Khan (wk), Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Salman Agha, Hussain Talat, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Shaheen Afridi (capt), Haris Rauf, Faisal Akram.

Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Kamil Mishara, Kusal Mendis (wk, capt), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Pavan Rathnayake, Janith Liyanage, Kamindu Mendis, Maheesh Theekshana, Pramod Madushan, Eshan Malinga, Jeffrey Vandersay.