Misbah finalises team combination for first Sri Lanka ODI

Pakistan’s head coach-cum-chief selector, Misbahul Haq, has finalised the team combination for the first One-day International (ODI) between Pakistan and Sri Lanka which will be played on Friday at the National Stadium in Karachi.

Openers Fakhar Zaman and Imamul Haq will continue their partnership at the top of Pakistan’s batting order in Sri Lanka’s upcoming tour of Pakistan. Batsman Abid Ali is the third opener in the squad and is expected to be given an opportunity later in the series.

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Zaman will be given an extended run with the side in order to allow the flamboyant opener to retrieve his lost form.

It should be noted that Zaman was successful in scoring a half-century in only one of his eight innings in the 2019 International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup. He scored 186 runs at an average of 23.25.

On the other hand, the performance of his partner Imam was also not extraordinary during the mega event. Barring a century against Bangladesh, the opener scored 205 runs in seven innings with just one half-century.

The third opener in the current squad, Ali, was not a part of Pakistan’s World Cup squad. Previously, Ali received just one match in the five-match series against England prior to the World Cup.

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Skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed is expected to bat at the number five position in the batting order. The pace attack is likely to consist of fast-bowlers Mohammad Amir, Wahab Riaz, and Usman Shinwari.

Misbahul Haq has clarified that he will try to gain the maximum amount of profit from the batting abilities of Sarfaraz. This is why the wicket-keeper batsman will feature at number five in Pakistan’s batting line-up.

All-rounder Mohammad Hafeez has been replaced by batsman Iftikhar Ahmed. All-rounders Imad Wasim and Shadab Khan are also expected to feature in Pakistan’s line-up.