Pakistan vs Sri Lanka 1st T20I Preview: Farhan's First Match as Captain, Shanaka the Danger Man

Pakistan's T20I side begins a new chapter tonight. The 1st T20I against Sri Lanka starts at 6:00 PM PKT at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, with the toss at 5:30 PM, and it will be Sahibzada Farhan's first match as Pakistan's full-time T20I captain.

A new opening pair

Farhan has confirmed that Fakhar Zaman will be his opening partner, keeping a left-right combination at the top of the order. Fakhar returns to the squad along with Naseem Shah, while Salman Ali Agha has been dropped from the T20I squad. The PCB confirmed Farhan as the full-time T20I captain after Pakistan's silver medal at the Asian Games.

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Shanaka the danger man

Sri Lanka are led by Kusal Mendis, but the player Pakistan will fear most is Dasun Shanaka. The former captain arrives in strong recent form: an unbeaten 76 off 31 balls against Pakistan at the T20 World Cup, followed by an unbeaten 121 off 43 balls in the Caribbean in September.

Silver versus bronze rematch

The two sides met at the Asian Games earlier this month. Pakistan took silver after losing the final to India by 19 runs on October 3, while Sri Lanka took bronze with a second-string side. Tonight is their first meeting since then, and both teams will want to set the tone for the rest of the series.

Head to head and series schedule

Pakistan lead the T20I head-to-head 18-12. The second T20I is on October 11 and the third on October 13, all at the same venue in Rawalpindi. The squads for the series were announced earlier this week.

For viewers in Pakistan, live streaming is available on Tapmad. The match starts at 6:00 PM PKT per PCB ticketing, with the toss at 5:30 PM.

Sources: wisden.com, cricketnews.com, pcb.tcs.com.pk via pakera.pk, cricketwinner.com, rajasthanroyals.com