Pakistan captain Shaheen Afridi said his team would also have preferred to bowl first because of the dew expected in the second half. Pakistan have made two changes to their playing XI, bringing back Maaz Sadaqat and Naseem Shah in place of Saim Ayub and Razaullah.
Dew factor behind Sri Lanka’s decision
Explaining his decision at the toss, Kusal Mendis said, “I think a little bit dew is coming in the second innings. That’s the first reason. And I trust our batting unit. The guys batted really well in last game.”
Sri Lanka are going in with the same combination as their previous match. Mendis said he was happy with the bowling unit, particularly its performance in the powerplay.
On Sri Lanka’s successful chase of 430 against England, Mendis said, “I think we did (some) really good partnerships, and we did the process, and Janith (Liyanage), Pavan Rathnayake, Dasun (Shanaka), Avishka (Fernando), they batted really well. Then we enjoyed a lot in the dressing room, I’m very happy.”
Speaking about the team combination, he added, “We (are) going to same combination because the guys bowled really well in the powerplay. I’m very happy (with the) bowling unit.”
Shaheen Afridi backs Pakistan’s bowling attack
Pakistan captain Shaheen Afridi agreed that bowling first would have been a good option, saying, “We would have also bowled first because in the second half, there’s a little bit dew.”
Reflecting on Pakistan’s last game against England, Afridi said, “Amazing game. Never seen a game like that. A good sign for Pakistan. You know, any player can come and win the game for us, which is good.”
Afridi believes a total of 290-300 could be competitive on the surface, given Pakistan’s bowling strength.
“I feel like 290-300, and then the kind of bowling we have, so we (would be) comfortable with that,” he said.
Confirming the changes to Pakistan’s side, Afridi said, “We have two changes. Saim Ayub and Razaullah are out, Maaz Sadaqat and Naseem Shah are back.”
Aamer Sohail expects consistent pace and bounce
Former Pakistan batter Aamer Sohail expects the pitch to offer good batting conditions, with consistent pace and bounce, although there could be some assistance for bowlers early on.
“It looks a belter. It’s rock hard with a lot of grass covering, and I think it’ll offer consistent pace and bounce. However, initially, initially for a few overs, just for a few overs, it might offer a bit of grip. Other than that, in my opinion, this pitch should behave.”
Playing XIs
Pakistan: Maaz Sadaqat, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Saad Baig (wk), Salman Agha, Hasan Nawaz, Arafat Minhas, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Afridi (c), Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf.
Sri Lanka: Kamindu Mendis, Avishka Fernando, Kusal Mendis (c & wk), Pavan Rathnayake, Janith Liyanage, Dasun Shanaka, Sahan Arachchige, Dunith Wellalage, Eshan Malinga, Asitha Fernando, Dilshan Madushanka.