Chaturanga de Silva, Jeffrey Vandersay, Shehan Jayasuriya, Binura Fernando and Dasun Shanak are the five uncapped players in their line-up.
Watch live online as Sri Lanka, the top-ranked T20 global cricket team in the world, face Pakistan looking for a degree of redemption after losing a Test series, followed by a 3-2 loss in a One Day worldwide series as the teams close out the Pakistan 2015 tour of their island rivals with a pair of matches in the high energy Twenty-20 format.
Pakistan piled up 175-5 after electing to bat and then restricted the reigning World Twenty20 champions to 146-7 in the day-night match at the Premadasa Stadium.
Afridi looked happy for winning the toss, he said, “A good hard surface”. Sri Lanka’s inability to hit the right lengths proved costly as Lasith Malinga, the captain, went for 46 off his four overs to finish as the most expensive bowler.
Sri Lanka sits atop the world T20 rankings, while Pakistan is now at fifth.
Now they take on a Sri Lanka side which will include up to five debutants after they called up Binura Fernando, Shehan Jayasuriya, Dasun Shanaka, Dhananjaya de Silva and Jeffrey Vandersay.
Pakistan have been in tremendous form in Sri Lanka so far. “We need to put them on the ground and see how they perform”.
Pakistan (from): Shahid Afridi (capt.), Ahmed Shehzad, Nauman Anwar, Mohammad Hafeez, Mukhtar Ahmed, Umar Akmal, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Rizwan, Sarfraz Ahmed, Yasir Shah, Sohail Tanvir, Imad Wasim, Anwar Ali, Mohammad Irfan and Ziaul Haq.
Debutant Dhananjaya de Silva looked promising during his knock of 31 and another youngster Milinda Siriwardana made 35, before Chamara Kapugedera justified his recall with three sixes in his unbeaten 31 off 16 balls.
The home side is dominated by newcomers and returnees and they will rely heavily on the experience of skipper Lasith Malinga, all-rounder Angelo Mathews and veteran opener Tillakaratne Dilshan.
