RAWALPINDI: Pakistan is set to host its first-ever T20I tri-nation series, with Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe joining the home side for seven matches at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium from 18 to 29 November.
Each team will play four round-robin games, and the two highest-ranked sides will meet in the final on Saturday, 29 November. All fixtures are scheduled to start at 6pm PST, with the toss taking place half an hour earlier.
Led by Salman Ali Agha, Pakistan enter the competition on the back of an impressive run in the shortest format. They reached the final of the ACC Men’s T20 Asia Cup in the UAE earlier this year, before securing a 2-1 T20I series win over South Africa at home. They also dominated Bangladesh with a 3-0 sweep in Lahore.
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In preparation for the tri-series, Pakistan recently wrapped up a full bilateral campaign against South Africa that included two Tests, three ODIs and three T20Is. The hosts drew the Test series 1-1 and claimed the ODI series 2-1 in Faisalabad. Most recently, they completed a commanding 3-0 whitewash of Sri Lanka in the ODI series held in Rawalpindi.
Pakistan T20I captain Salman Ali Agha ahead of the tri-series said:
Pakistan’s T20I skipper Salman Ali Agha, speaking ahead of the upcoming tri-series, said the tournament has arrived at the perfect moment for his side. He noted that facing two strong teams in quick succession would help the squad stay in rhythm and fine-tune their T20I approach before next year’s crucial ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
Reflecting on recent performances, Salman said the team has delivered promising results from lifting the tri-series title in Sharjah to reaching the Asia Cup final and securing white-ball series wins over South Africa and Sri Lanka. He added that Pakistan displayed solid discipline during the ODI series against Sri Lanka and hopes the side can build on that momentum in the coming days.
He also praised the enthusiastic Rawalpindi crowd, saying their support has been outstanding and that he expects the series to offer exciting, high-quality cricket throughout.
Broadcast details:
The tournament will be shown live in Pakistan on A Sports and Ten Sports, while viewers in North America can catch the action on Willow TV. Cricbuzz will cover the event across the MENA region and South East Asia, with Astro also providing broadcasts in parts of South East Asia.
SuperSport will air the matches across Sub-Saharan Africa. In Sri Lanka, Dialog TV and Supreme TV will carry the live coverage, and fans in Bangladesh can follow the series on T Sports and Tapmad.
The commentary team for the tri-series brings together seasoned local and international names. Former Pakistan Test captains Aamir Sohail and Ramiz Raja, ex-women’s captain Urooj Mumtaz, and former Test batter Bazid Khan will be part of the lineup. They’ll be joined by Sri Lanka’s Russel Arnold and Zimbabwe’s Pommie Mbangwa.
Zainab Abbas and Sikandar Bakht will host the coverage as the series presenters.
15-member T20I squad:
Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan (wicket-keeper), Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan (wicket-keeper), Usman Tariq.
Series schedule:
18 November – Pakistan v Zimbabwe
20 November – Sri Lanka v Zimbabwe
22 November – Pakistan v Sri Lanka
23 November – Pakistan v Zimbabwe
25 November – Sri Lanka v Zimbabwe
27 November – Pakistan v Sri Lanka
29 November –Final
