Pakistan’s Skipper Afridi Aims to Extend Winning Streak Against Sri Lanka in ODI Showdown

Pakistan is eager to maintain its winning streak in ODIs as they face Sri Lanka in a three-match series starting Tuesday in Rawalpindi.

Captaining the ODI team for the first time, Shaheen Shah Afridi led Pakistan to a 2-1 victory over a weakened South African side last week in Faisalabad.

“Our aim for the Sri Lanka series is to build on our winning momentum,” Afridi stated at Pindi Cricket Stadium, the venue for all three ODIs this week.

He emphasized the importance of developing consistency and improving as a team across all aspects. Afridi took over the captaincy from Mohammad Rizwan earlier this year following Pakistan’s underwhelming performances in ODIs, including losses in series against New Zealand and West Indies, as well as a failure to make the semifinals of the Champions Trophy.

Afridi stressed the need for collective accountability, saying, “Every player should take responsibility. It’s not just up to individuals like Shaheen, Fakhar, Babar, or Saim; we must support each other and believe in ourselves as a team.”

Saim Ayub stood out in the series against South Africa with two half-centuries, including a top score of 77 in the decisive third ODI. While Babar Azam struggled, scoring only 45 runs across three innings, and Fakhar Zaman experienced two consecutive ducks after an initial 45, contributions from Salman Ali Agha and Rizwan were crucial.

Afridi lauded the team’s performance against South Africa, highlighting their energy, intent, and teamwork.

Sri Lanka, ranked fourth in ODIs, poses a formidable challenge, having won recent series against Australia and Bangladesh at home and defeating Zimbabwe on foreign soil. Led by Charith Asalanka, Sri Lanka fields a full-strength squad, missing only fast bowler Dilshan Madushanka due to injury, with Eshan Malinga stepping in.

Asalanka remarked on the difficulty of playing Pakistan on their home turf, acknowledging the strong performance of both teams in recent fixtures.

Pakistan is expected to prepare pitches favoring batsmen to counter Sri Lanka’s spin threats from Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana, along with Jeffrey Vandersay.

The ODI series will be followed by a T20 tri-series in Rawalpindi and Lahore starting November 17, featuring Zimbabwe as the third team.

The Squads:

Pakistan: Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayub, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Salman Agha, Hussain Talat, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi (c), Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Faisal Akram, Haseebullah Khan.

Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (wk), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka (c), Janith Liyanage, Kamindu Mendis, Dushmantha Chameera, Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Asitha Fernando, Eshan Malinga, Pramod Madushan, Lahiru Udara, Pavan Rathnayake, Kamil Mishara, Jeffrey Vandersay.

Published on November 10, 2025.