Thursday Jan 15, 2026
Thursday Jan 15, 2026
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Head Coach Sanath Jayasuriya and White Ball Captain Charith Asalanka
By Sa’adi Thawfeeq
Since their disastrous 2023 Cricket World Cup campaign, Sri Lanka has come a long way in the ODI format winning all seven bilateral series played at home against Zimbabwe, Afghanistan, India, West Indies, New Zealand, Australia and Bangladesh, but a question mark remains in their performance overseas.
They have played two series in Bangladesh and in New Zealand and lost both of them by 2-1 margins. But against Zimbabwe in tough conditions in August they beat the hosts 2-0. For the upcoming three-match ODI series against Pakistan starting at Rawalpindi on 11 November, Sri Lanka will look to carry on from where they left off at Zimbabwe although the opposition and conditions will be totally different. Playing Pakistan in their own surroundings is not an easy task. The previous time they met in 2019, Sri Lanka lost the 3-match series 2-0 with one game abandoned due to bad weather.
Sri Lanka has a lot to prove on this tour to Pakistan. The last meeting Sri Lanka had with Pakistan in the 2023 Cricket World Cup at Hyderabad is a result they would want to forget. After scoring 344-9, Sri Lanka still found a way to lose the match by 6 wickets allowing Pakistan to score 345-4 and win with 10 balls to spare. It was the highest ever run chase in a World Cup. This defeat came after Sri Lanka had conceded 428 runs in their first match to South Africa. Thus, in their first two matches of the Cricket World Cup Sri Lankan bowlers conceded over 750 runs.
On flat pitches Sri Lanka’s bowlers were exposed to the hilt and were found wanting. The big test for them is trying to adapt to bowling on flat tracks which they seldom find at home. They have to prove that they are equally adaptable in overseas conditions as they are at home.
Pakistan are coming into the ODI and T20I series against Sri Lanka having fine-tuned themselves with a two-Test series, a 3-match T20I series and a 3-match ODI series against South Africa at home. Their players are in good nick having been involved in international cricket since 12 October, whereas Sri Lanka are coming out after a one and a half months hiatus from international cricket. Their last international match took place on 26 September – the Asia Cup Super-Fours against India at Dubai. Since then the Sri Lankan squad have held a special training camp in Hambantota and played a lot of ODI and T20 practice matches and continued with night practices at the R Premadasa Stadium.
“We were trying to get close to the conditions we will expect in Pakistan. We have done our homework. What is required is to go there and execute our plans,” said Head Coach Sanath Jayasuriya.
“We don’t know what type of wickets we are getting in Pakistan. They are better prepared than us because they have the home advantage as well as they know their conditions well. They are currently playing South Africa in conditions best suited to them. Under their conditions Pakistan are stronger and will offer stiff opposition. But the difficult wickets we played in Zimbabwe should hold us in good stead.”
“We have been doing well in ODIs for the past one year and won the last series 2-0 in Zimbabwe. It is very important to continue what we did in Zimbabwe, the batsmen took on the responsibility in difficult conditions and we bowled well to win the ODI series.”
“Our focus first is in the ODI series although the T20I series will be our main concern with the T20 World Cup around the corner. The players all know how important the T20I series is because of the World Cup. The reality is the three ODIs come first. If we do well in Pakistan like in Zimbabwe eventually we will go up in our ODI rankings. It’s a process of work in progress for the players.”
Both teams are currently neck and neck in the ODI rankings with Sri Lanka 4th and Pakistan 5th and only 3 rating points separating them.
Unlike the T20I squad Sri Lanka has few issues with regard to their ODI combinations. One of them is finding a suitable and reliable opening partner for Pathum Nissanka. Nishan Madushka and Nuwanidu Fernando were tried in those positions but both failed. Uncapped Lahiru Udara and Kamil Mishara have been named in the 16-member squad to fill in that position. The rest of the batting will remain the same with Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, skipper Charith Asalanka, Janith Liyanage and Kamindu Mendis. The bowling (seam and spin) balance will depend on the type of pitches Pakistan will provide.
From the Zimbabwe series, Sri Lanka has made five changes to their ODI squad with Wanindu Hasaranga, Kamil Mishara, Lahiru Udara, Pramod Madushan and Eshan Malinga replacing Dushan Hemantha, Nishan Madushka, Nuwanidu Fernando, Dilshan Madushanka/Milan Rathnayake and Dunith Wellalage.
The pace bowling will be handled by Asitha Fernando, Dushmantha Chameera, Pramod Madushan and Eshan Malinga with Janith Liyanage, and the spin department by Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana and Jeffrey Vandersay with Charith Asalanka.
In the Sri Lanka T20I squad of 16, specialist fast bowler Matheesha Pathirana has been replaced by Asitha Fernando as Pathirana is recovering from an upper respiratory tract infection (URTI). Pathirana is one of five players dropped from the 17-member Asia Cup squad, others being Nuwanidu Fernando, Dunith Wellalage, Binura Fernando, and Chamika Karunaratne. The replacements are Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Dushan Hemantha and Eshan Malinga.
Sri Lanka ODI squad to Pakistan
Charith Asalanka (Captain), Pathum Nissanka, Lahiru Udara, Kamil Mishara, Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Kamindu Mendis, Janith Liyanage, Pavan Rathnayake, Wanindu Hasaranaga, Maheesh Theekshana, Jeffrey Vandersay, Dushmantha Chameera, Asitha Fernando, Pramod Madushan, Eshan Malinga
Sri Lanka T20I squad to Pakistan
Charith Asalanka (Captain), Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, Kusal Perera, Kamil Mishara, Dasun Shanaka (Vice-Captain), Kamindu Mendis, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Janith Liyanage, Wanindu Hasaranaga, Maheesh Theekshana, Dushan Hemantha, Dushmantha Chameera, Nuwan Thushara, Asitha Fernando, Eshan Malinga.
Tour Itinerary
ODI Series v Pakistan
11 Nov: First ODI at Rawalpindi
13 Nov: Second ODI at Rawalpindi
15 Nov: Third ODI at Rawalpindi
Tri-Nation T20I Tournament with Pakistan and Zimbabwe
17 Nov: Pakistan v Zimbabwe at Rawalpindi
19 Nov: Sri Lanka v Zimbabwe at Rawalpindi
22 Nov: Sri Lanka v Pakistan at Lahore
23 Nov: Pakistan v Zimbabwe at Lahore
25 Nov: Sri Lanka v Zimbabwe at Lahore
27 Nov: Sri Lanka v Pakistan at Lahore
29 Nov: Final at Lahore
