Pakistan Elects To Bowl First as Sri Lanka Reaches 9/0 Early in Tri-Series Final

The T20I Tri-Series 2025 final between Pakistan and Sri Lanka kicked off under lights at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on November 29, with hosts Pakistan captain Salman Agha winning the toss and electing to bowl first on a pitch expected to favor chasing under dew. Agha cited the surface as a "170-kind of pitch" rather than the typical high-scoring Pindi track, adding that moisture could aid the second innings. Sri Lanka, entering on the back of two consecutive wins to qualify, opened with Pathum Nissanka and Kamil Mishara, while Pakistan brought back Shaheen Afridi for Mohammad Wasim Jr. to bolster their pace attack.

Sri Lanka got off the mark immediately as Nissanka guided Shaheen's first ball—a back-of-a-length delivery around off—to third man for a single, setting a cautious tone in the powerplay. Afridi, returning after a minor niggle, struck back with two wides in his opening over, erring down leg, but found his rhythm by keeping lengths short and straight. Mishara, the aggressive opener, struggled against the swing, punching a fuller ball straight to short cover and missing a flick that thudded into his pads, sparking a brief run-out scare at the non-striker's end.

By the end of the first over, Sri Lanka reached 1/0, with Nissanka (1*) and Mishara (0*) looking to build on their recent form. Salman Mirza, the debutant pacer, took over from Afridi in the second over, conceding just a single as Nissanka worked a length ball to midwicket. The early phase saw Pakistan's seamers exploit any seam movement, testing the Lankans' technique against the new ball, while Sri Lanka aimed to avoid early wickets after their batting collapses in the group stage.

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Pakistan's unchanged XI from their last outing—Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Babar Azam, Salman Agha (c), Fakhar Zaman, Usman Khan (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Salman Mirza, and Abrar Ahmed—reflected confidence in their balanced lineup. Sri Lanka stuck with their winning combination: Pathum Nissanka, Kamil Mishara, Kusal Mendis (wk), Kusal Perera, Janith Liyanage, Dasun Shanaka (c), Pavan Rathnayake, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dushmantha Chameera, Maheesh Theekshana, and Eshan Malinga.

As the match progresses into the middle overs, dew could indeed tilt the scales toward the chasing side, making Agha's decision pivotal. Sri Lanka's Shanaka, fresh off a match-winning knock in the semi-final qualifier, will look to accelerate, while Pakistan's spinners Abrar Ahmed and Nawaz lurk to exploit any grip. With both teams vying for tri-series glory—Pakistan seeking a home trophy after recent ICC heartbreaks and Sri Lanka aiming to end a trophyless run—the final promises high drama under the floodlights.

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