T20I series against SL: Sahibzada Farhan vows to lead from the front on captaincy debut

LAHORE: Pakistan captain Sahibzada Farhan has said he will lead from the front in the three-match series against Sri Lanka starting from Friday at the Rawalpindi Stadium.

Farhan took charge as T20I captain on October 5.

Addressing a press conference in Lahore, the in-form T20 skipper said that the national team will remain united and make every effort to win the series against Sri Lanka.

The Pakistan Cricket Board has shared the schedule for the Sri Lanka series, with Sri Lanka set to face Farhan-led Pakistan in the opening match on October 9.

The second T20I will be played on October 11 and the third on October 13 in Rawalpindi, with all three matches starting at 8pm.

The national T20I captain said he has to lead from the front as he took on the responsibility of leading the national team for the first time.

Farhan said the best available players will be selected in consultation with the team management, with the aim of playing good cricket and winning the series against Sri Lanka.

The new captain said that winning the series is the primary target, but the team will take one match at a time and look to give its best performance in every game.

He was made captain of the national T20I side after the PCB removed Salman Agha following his tally of just 25 runs in the first Test against England. Agha scored 25 runs in two innings in the first Test before he was stripped of his responsibilities for the second and third Tests.

The T20I series will be followed by a seven-match ODI tri-series involving Pakistan, Sri Lanka and England.

Pakistan have announced their squads for both the T20I series against Sri Lanka and the ODI tri-series.

Pakistan previously played a three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka in January this year, with the series ending 1-1. The two teams have played 31 T20Is so far, with Pakistan winning 18 and Sri Lanka 12, while one match was washed out due to rain.

Pakistan T20I squad

Sahibzada Farhan (captain), Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmed, Arafat Minhas, Fakhar Zaman, Hassan Nawaz, Imran Randhawa, Khawaja Nafay, Muaz Sadaqat, Naseem Shah, Razaullah, Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza, Shadab Khan and Sufyan Muqeem.

Pakistan ODI squad

Shaheen Shah Afridi (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Salman Agha, Arafat Minhas, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Ghazi Ghori, Haris Rauf, Hassan Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Razaullah, Saad Baig, Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan and Sufyan Muqeem.

The seven-match ODI tri-series between Pakistan, England and Sri Lanka will also open at Rawalpindi Stadium, where the first three matches will take place. The remaining matches and the final will be held in Lahore, the PCB said.