Watch: Sahibzada Farhan confirms his opening partner for Pakistan's T20I series vs Sri Lanka

Pakistan and Sri Lanka will begin their three-match T20I series on Friday, October 9, with the first match scheduled at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. The game will start at 8:00 PM Pakistan Standard Time.

Ahead of the series, Sahibzada Farhan spoke at the press conference and shared Pakistan’s plans for the T20I matches. He also confirmed the player who will open the innings with him against Sri Lanka. The Pakistan skipper also discussed the decision to leave out senior players such as Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan.

Pakistan enter the first T20I as the favourites, with a 67% win probability compared to Sri Lanka’s 33% in the available match data. The hosts will look to start the series with a win in front of their home fans.

Watch the viral press conference video here:

Sahibzada Farhan confirms his opening partner for Pakistan's T20I series vs Sri Lanka

Sahibzada Farhan has confirmed that Fakhar Zaman will be his opening partner for Pakistan in the T20I series against Sri Lanka. The newly appointed PAK skipper said the decision is aimed at maintaining a left-right combination at the top. He explained, “It’s quite clear from the World Cup game that I’ll be opening with Fakhar, and we also want to maintain a left-right combination at the top.”

Fakhar Zaman brings plenty of experience to Pakistan’s T20I opening pair. He has played 120 T20Is, scoring 2,494 runs at an average of 23.98 and a strike rate of 132.51. His T20I record also includes 14 fifties and two hundreds, with a highest score of 91.

See also -How to watch Pakistan vs Sri Lanka T20I Series 2026 live in India: Dates, Timings, Venue and Live streaming

Farhan also spoke about the absence of senior players Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan from the current T20I setup. Praising both players, he said, “Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan are world-class players. They can come back into the Pakistan T20I team anytime.” Pakistan will now look to Farhan and Fakhar to provide a strong start against Sri Lanka.

What Farhan said: Opening combination, batting plans and squad details

Sahibzada Farhan has spoken about Pakistan’s plans for the upcoming T20I, with the newly appointed captain expected to play an important role at the top of the order. Farhan will lead a squad that includes a mix of experienced international players and younger talents as Pakistan look to build a strong combination for the series.

The opening combination will be one of the key decisions for Farhan and Pakistan’s team management. Fakhar Zaman provides an experienced left-handed option at the top, while Saim Ayub can also open the innings and add another left-handed option. Farhan himself is an opening batter, giving Pakistan several possible combinations to choose from before the first T20I.

See also -Sahibzada Farhan named new Pakistan captain for Sri Lanka T20 Series — Full squad revealed

Pakistan also have plenty of attacking batting options in the middle order. Abdul Samad and Hasan Nawaz can provide power-hitting, while Arafat Minhas, Maaz Sadaqat and Razaullah offer additional all-round options. The team will look to maintain an aggressive approach while ensuring enough batting depth to support the top order.

Pakistan’s full T20I squad includes Sahibzada Farhan, Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmed, Arafat Minhas, Fakhar Zaman, Hasan Nawaz, Muhammad Imran Randhawa, Khawaja Nafay, Maaz Sadaqat, Naseem Shah, Razaullah, Saim Ayub, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Shadab Khan and Sufiyan Moqim.

What it means for Pakistan: Likely playing XI and the road ahead in the series

Pakistan will begin their three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Friday, October 9. The first T20I is scheduled to start at 8:30 PM IST, with Sahibzada Farhan leading Pakistan in his first series as captain. The match will be available to watch live on Tapmad.

Razaullah and Hasan Nawaz will be among the key players to watch for Pakistan. Razaullah has earned his maiden white-ball call-up after an impressive run in red-ball cricket and will be looking to make an immediate impact in T20I cricket. Hasan Nawaz will also be under the spotlight after his impressive 96 off 51 balls against India in the Asian Games final. For Sri Lanka, Kusal Mendis remains an important player with both the bat and gloves, while Maheesh Theekshana could play a key role with the ball, particularly during the middle overs.

The Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium pitch is expected to provide a competitive contest between bat and ball. Pakistan’s batters will look to make the most of the Powerplay, while the spinners could become increasingly important as the innings progresses. Since the match is scheduled for the evening, both teams will also have to assess the conditions before deciding whether batting first or chasing is the better option.

Pakistan predicted playing XI

Sahibzada Farhan (C), Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayub, Arafat Minhas, Abdul Samad, Hasan Nawaz, Khawaja Nafay (WK), Abrar Ahmed, Razaullah, Sufiyan Muqeem

Sri Lanka predicted playing XI

Kusal Mendis (C, WK), Pathum Nissanka, Dasun Shanaka, Kamindu Mendis, Sahan Arachchige, Chamindu Wickramasinghe, Dunith Wellalage, Maheesh Theekshana, Nuwan Thushara, Dushmantha Chameera, Eshan Malinga