Pakistan Playing XI vs Sri Lanka- 2nd ODI, Sri Lanka Tour of Pakistan 2025

Pakistan will be up against Sri Lanka in the second of the three-match ODI series. This article provides details about Pakistan's Playing 11 vs Sri Lanka for the second match of the series.

Pakistan Playing XI vs Sri Lanka- 2nd ODI, Sri Lanka Tour of Pakistan 2025:

Openers: Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayub

Pakistan would be relieved more than anything as they almost conceded what was their game to win, courtesy of some indecisive bowling in the final five overs during the first ODI against Sri Lanka.

One of the biggest causes of concern for the team in the last four ODIs has been the lack of wickets in the first ten overs, which they would like to rectify in the upcoming match.

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In the batting department, the home team is in desperate need of a good start at the top of the order as the opening pair of Fakhar Zaman and Saim Ayub has scored runs individually but hasn't been able to perform as a partnership.

The Men in Green would back both batters to come good at once and get the team off to a good start in the next game.

Middle-order batsmen and all-rounders: Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Salman Ali Agha, Hussain Talat, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf

Amidst the poor performance of the opening partnership, it is the team's middle order that has been bailing it out of tricky situations in the recent past, and that's exactly what the pair of Salman Ali Agha and Hussain Talat did after being reduced to 95-4.

Salman and Hussain Talat added 138 runs for the fifth wicket and took the team to a score of 233 runs, with both batters scoring a half-century till that particular stage.

Salman went on to convert it into a century and good support in the form of Mohammad Nawaz, who, courtesy of his aggressive batting at the backend of the innings, helped Pakistan get to a challenging total of 299 runs.

The team management would want Salman Ali Agha, Hussain Talat, and Mohammad Nawaz to carry their form in the second match, and for experienced batters Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan to score runs as well.

Bowlers: Shaheen Afridi (c), Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah

Pakistan would be happy with the way their bowlers pulled things back after getting off to the worst possible start by conceding 50 runs in the first six overs without picking up a wicket.

The comeback was led by Haris Rauf, who picked up four wickets, including two wickets in two balls, to get the Men in Green off the mark while defending a target of 300 runs.

Rauf was well supported by Mohammad Nawaz, who kept the Sri Lankan batters in check in the middle phase of the innings and picked up the important wicket of opposition captain Charith Asalanka to make things difficult for the visitors.

The Men in Green would want both Rauf and Nawaz to keep up the good work and for captain Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah to pick up wickets with the new ball, thereby letting the likes of Faheem Ashraf bowl with freedom at crucial moments in the game.