Sri Lanka will take on Pakistan in the first of the three-match T20I series. The SL vs PAK Match Preview provides today’s match details for the first match.
SL vs PAK Match Preview- 1st T20I, Pakistan Tour of Sri Lanka 2026:
Date and Venue:
The SL vs PAK match will be played on January 7 at Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium in Dambulla. The game will start at 7:00 PM IST.
Squads:
Sri Lanka
Dasun Shanaka (c) Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, Kusal Perera, Dhananjaya de Silva, Niroshan Dickwella, Janith Liyanage, Charith Asalanka, Kamindu Mendis, Pawan Rathnayake, Sahan Arachchige, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dunith Wellalage, Milan Ratnayake, Nuwan Thushara, Eshan Malinga, Dushmantha Chameera, Pramod Madushan, Matheesha Pathirana, Dilshan Madushan, Maheesh Theekshana, Dushan Hemantha, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, Trevin Mathew, Kamil Mishara
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Pakistan
Salman Ali Agha (c), Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Nafay, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan, Usman Tariq
SL vs PAK Key battles:
Pathum Nissanka vs Mohammad Salman Mirza
Sri Lankan opener Pathum Nissanka, who was in good form in 2025, would like to carry that into the first match of 2026 and deliver a match-winning performance against Pakistan.
Nissanka will have to tackle the bowling of Mohammad Salman Mirza, who has had a good start to his international career and would want to build on it by bowling his team to victory in this particular match.
Kusal Mendis vs Abrar Ahmed
Nissanka’s partner at the top of the order, Kusal Mendis would also aim for a good start to the year with the T20 World Cup in sight.
Mendis will take on Abrar Ahmed, who is expected to find a place in the playing XI for the first T20I.
Fakhar Zaman vs Dushmantha Chameera
Experienced opener Fakhar Zaman would look to play in an aggressive manner if he gets to open the innings in the upcoming match.
Fakhar will be up against Dushmantha Chameera, who will be entrusted to pick wickets with the new ball.
Sahibzada Farhan vs Wanindu Hasaranga
Sahibzada Farhan, who had a few decent outings last year, would hope to replicate the same performance in the first game of the year.
Sahibzada Farhan will face the challenge of Wanindu Hasaranga, who will handle Sri Lanka’s spin bowling department and will look to pick wickets at regular intervals for the team while maintaining his economy in order to create pressure on the batters.
SL vs PAK Key Players:
SL – Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, Kamil Mishara, Dushmantha Chameera, Wanindu Hasaranga
PAK– Sahibzada Farhan, Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayub, Usman Tariq, Abrar Ahmad
SL vs PAK Weather Report:
There is a 65% chance of rain during day two of the game in Dambulla, with a maximum temperature of 24°C and a minimum of 18°C.
Conclusion
Both teams will look to give it their all in the series opener in a bid to win the match and take a 1-0 lead in the series.
