Pakistan Playing XI vs Sri Lanka. Image Credits: AP
Pakistan will host Sri Lanka in the fifth fixture of the ongoing ODI Tri-Series 2026. The much-anticipated clash will be held at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Tuesday, October 27, at 1:30 PM IST.
With a thrilling 1-wicket win against England, Pakistan have successfully qualified for the final. They’ve not lost a single game so far and have beaten Sri Lanka on previous occasions in this series itself.
However, for the upcoming match 5 vs Sri Lanka, Pakistan will make a few changes to their playing XI. And in this article, we’ll analyse their best playing combination.
Top Order - Fakhar Zaman, Sahibzada Farhan, Babar Azam
The opening pair of Pakistan will undergo a change in the upcoming match 5 against Sri Lanka. Saim Ayub has been released from the squad due to workload management.
Hence, Fakhar Zaman will open with Ayub’s replacement, Sahibzada Farhan. Zaman has been ineffective so far, scoring 26 runs in 3 innings. However, due to a lack of better opening options on the bench, he will be backed.
On the other hand, Farhan, the T20I captain, is in great form, having scored 76, 73 and 89 runs in the T20I series vs Sri Lanka. Hence, he was recalled into the ODI setup for the remainder of the Tri-Series.
At no. 3, veteran batter Babar Azam will walk out to bat. He has so far scored 89 runs with a strike rate of 73. But given his experience and talent, Babar will carry a lot of responsibility at no. 3.
Middle Order - Saad Baig, Hasan Nawaz, Salman Agha, Shadab Khan, Arafar Minhas
In the middle order, wicketkeeper-batter Saad Baig will hold the fort. He has got good starts in the tri-series with 106 runs combined, but Baig must convert them into big scores to make a difference.
Hasan Nawaz, meanwhile, should be promoted to no. 5 given his good form. In 3 games, he has scored 131 runs, including a fifty. Later, Salman Agha, who scored a century previously against Sri Lanka in the tri-series, will walk out to bat.
Shadab Khan, meanwhile, turned out to be a dark horse with the bat in the last game. He scored a century and led his team to a dramatic 1-wicket victory. Hence, Khan’s presence in the lower-middle order will only strengthen Pakistan’s batting depth.
Bowlers - Arafat Minhas, Shaheen Afridi, Razaullah, Haris Rauf
All-rounder Arafat Minhas is having the best series as a bowler, being the leading wicket-taker for Pakistan. In 3 games, he chipped in 8 wickets with a low average of 15.25, including a 5-wicket-haul.
Hence, Minhas will be another dark horse that can rattle Sri Lanka. As for pacers, captain Shaheen Afridi will lead from the front. He has 7 wickets to his name in this series so far, including a four-wicket-haul.
Razaullah, who replaced Naseem Shah in the last game, bowled a good spell of 2/38 in the last game against England. Hence, given his raw talent, he will be given more opportunities to get settled in the ODI setup.
Lastly, speedster Haris Rauf will complete this bowling lineup. In 3 games so far, he has picked up 5 wickets, but with an average of 27. So overall, Pakistan will make only one forced change for this upcoming Tri-Series game vs Sri Lanka.
Pakistan Playing XI vs Sri Lanka - ODI Tri Series 2026, Match 5
Fakhar Zaman, Sahibzada Farhan, Babar Azam, Saad Baig (wk), Salman Ali Agha, Hasan Nawaz, Arafat Minhas, Shaheen Afridi (c), Razaullah, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf
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