Pakistan will take on Sri Lanka in the second of the three-match ODI series. This article provides details about Sri Lanka’s Playing 11 vs Pakistan for the second match of the series.
Sri Lanka Playing XI vs Pakistan- 2nd ODI, Sri Lanka Tour of Pakistan 2025
Openers: Pathum Nissanka, Kamil Mishara
Sri Lanka would aim to bounce back after a narrow defeat in the opening ODI against Pakistan in Rawalpindi when they take the field at the same venue for the next match.
The visitors might think of adding an extra fast bowling option in place of a batter to restrict the opposition to a manageable total of less than 300 runs while bowling first, which wasn’t the case in the previous game.
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Lanka fell six runs short in pursuit of a target of 300 runs, courtesy of losing too many wickets in the middle phase of the innings after getting off to a good start in the first ten overs.
The Charith Asalanka-led side would hope to put on a much-improved performance, especially with the bat, and would want the middle-order batters to bat a bit more responsibly.
Despite a disappointing performance, Sri Lanka would be happy with the start the opening pair of Pathum Nissanka and Kamil Mishara gave to the team and would want them to keep up the good work in the upcoming match as well.
Middle-order batsmen and all-rounders: Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama (wk), Charith Asalanka (c), Kamindu Mendis, Janith Liyanage, Wanindu Hasaranaga
The performance of Lanka’s middle order in the last match was a major reason why the team failed to accomplish the chase while staying in the game till the last over.
The island nation lost a wicket or two more than they would have liked in the second powerplay, thereby losing their way in what looked like a regulation chase after the kind of start that the team got.
The team management would hope that the likes of captain Charith Asalanka, Sadeera Samarawickrama, and Janith Liyanage would learn from their mistakes and from the way Wanindu Hasaranga, who scored a fighting half-century, batted.
The onus will be on Lanka’s top five batters to score the bulk of the runs for the team while batting first or while chasing.
Bowlers: Maheesh Theekshana, Dushmantha Chameera, Asitha Fernando
Lanka might ponder picking an extra fast bowler for the next match as the pitch assisted the pacers in the previous fixture, and dew also played its part in the second innings.
Having said that, the chances of that happening look quite bleak as the team might restrain itself from making chances after a game which could have gone either way had Sri Lanka batted more sensibly.
Meaning that Lanka will walk into the second ODI with an unchanged bowling combination comprising two specialist fast bowlers and as many spinners.
The fast bowling department of Lanka will be handled by Dushmantha Chameera and Asitha Fernando, while the spin bowling department will be taken care of by Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshan, with Janith Liyanage being the fifth bowler.
