As Pakistan look to finalise their preparations ahead of big tournaments, including Asia Cup 2023 and ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, the men in green will take on Afghanistan for the first ODI of 3-match series in Sri Lanka. The Pakistan vs Afghanistan ODI series is coming at a time when Babar Azam XI is in great form as they recently won a Test series against Sri Lanka and defeated New Zealand by 4-1 in their last ODI series.
The encounter will take place at Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium in Hambantota by 2:30 pm PST and can be watched live at PTV Sports. Pakistan squad for the series & Asia Cup comprises of:
- Abdullah Shafique
- Fakhar Zaman
- Imam-ul-Haq
- Babar Azam (C)
- Salman Ali Agha
- Iftikhar Ahmed
- Tayyab Tahir
- Saud Shakeel
- Mohammad Rizwan (WK)
- Mohammad Haris
- Shadab Khan (VC)
- Mohammad Nawaz
- Usama Mir
- Faheem Ashraf
- Haris Rauf
- Mohammad Wasim Jnr
- Naseem Shah
- Shaheen Afridi
Meanwhile, the Afghan squad for the Pakistan vs Afghanistan series includes:
- Hashmatullah Shahidi (C)
- Rahmanullah Gurbaz (Wk)
- Rahmat Shah
- Rashid Khan
- Mohammad Nabi
- Ibrahim Zadran
- Riaz Hassan
- Najibullah Zadran
- Ikram Alikhil
- Azmatullah Omarzai
- Mujeeb Ur Rahman
- Noor Ahmad
- Abdul Rahman
- Mohammad Saleem Safi
- Fazalhaq Farooqi
- Wafadar Momand
While talking about the importance of series, Captain Babar Azam said
Pakistan team is focused on their preparations ahead of the Asia Cup and the World Cup. He added that it is beneficial to get such a series ahead of major events and since the tournaments. Babar believed that Afghanistan is on the rise & carries a good bowling line-up, and the fans will get to see exciting cricket.