Pakistan choose to bowl first against Sri Lanka in the second ODI

Salman Ali Agha is the captain of Pakistan team instead of Shaheen Afridi

Pakistan is ready to take on Sri Lanka in the second One-Day International on Friday afternoon at Rawalpindi Stadium, despite security concerns following a bomb blast in Islamabad on November 11.

Pakistan won the toss and opted to bowl first as they look to build on their six-run victory in the opening match, giving them a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. Salman Ali Agha will captain Pakistan in the second ODI in place of Shaheen Afridi, who is sidelined with a fever.

The ODIs serve as a warm-up for the upcoming tri-series involving Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Zimbabwe, scheduled to start on November 18.

Despite the anxieties and pressure after the suicide bombing, both teams returned to the field, determined to focus on cricket.

Pakistan's roster looks good for the match, Salman Ali Agha will once again be the center of attention, and other batsmen will also have to play a full role in the victory. Spinner Abrar Ahmed is back in the team as well after missing the first match due to illness.

Pacers Haris Rauf, who took four wickets only giving away 61 runs, will be targeting the opponent's batting line.

Sri Lankan team will be looking to level the series with a win.

The Lions will be pinning their hopes on Kaushal Mendis, Asitha Fernando, and Wanindu Hasaranga in their batting order.

The weather is expected to be clear and pleasant.

Initially, the second ODI of the series between Pakistan and Sri Lanka was to be played in Rawalpindi on Thursday, but some of the visiting cricketers expressed their intention to return home due to security concerns, which put the series in danger.

However, PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi handled the matter amicably. He spoke to the Sri Lankan board and also met the cricketers and assured them of foolproof security, after which the visitors agreed to stay and continue the series.

It was decided to delay the final two ODIs of the series by a day, and the second ODI was rescheduled to Friday.

Pakistan's record in one-day cricket this year had been dismal till last month, only posting one win out of 11 matches. But they managed to turn their luck around in the home season and won three out of four matches.

They won 2-1 in the three-match series against South Africa, earlier.

In the head-to-head record, Pakistan team has won four out of the last five bilateral matches against Sri Lanka.

Pakistan XI

1 Fakhar Zaman, 2 Saim Ayub, 3 Babar Azam, 4 Mohammad Rizwan (wk), 5 Salman Agha, 6 Hussain Talat, 7 Mohammad Nawaz, 8 Mohammad Wasim Jr., 9 Haris Rauf, 10 Naseem Shah, 11 Abrar Ahmed

Sri Lanka XI

1 Pathum Nissanka, 2 Kamil Mishara, 3 Kusal Mendis, 4 Sadeera Samarawickrama, 5 Charith Asalanka, 6 Janith Liyanage, 7 Kamindu Mendis, 8 Wanindu Hasaranga, 9 Pramod Madushan, 10 Dushmantha Chameera, 11 Asitha Fernando.