Sri Lanka Will face Pakistan in the first match of the three-match T20 series. SL vs PAK Match Preview provides today’s match details for the first match.
SL vs PAK Match Preview- 1st T20I, Pakistan tour of Sri Lanka 2026:
Date and Place:
The SL vs PAK match will be played on January 7 at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium, Dambulla. The game will start at 7:00 PM IST.
Squad:
Sri Lanka
Dasun Shanaka (captain) Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, Kusal Perera, Dhananjay de Silva, Niroshan Dickwella, Zenith Liyanage, Charith Asalanka, Kamindu Mendis, Pawan Rathnayake, Sahan Arachige, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dunith Vellaage, Milan Ratnayake, Nuwan Thushara, Ishan Malinga, Dushmantha Chameera, Pramod Madushan, Mathisha Pathirana, Dilshan Madushan, Mahesh Theekshana, Dushan Hemantha, Vijaykant Vyaskant, Trevin Mathew, Kamil Mishara.
Pakistan
Salman Ali Aga (captain), Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Nafe, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Mohammad Wasim Jr., Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan, Saeem Ayub, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan, Usman Tariq.
Sri Lanka vs Pakistan Major Matches:
Pathum Nissanka vs Mohammad Salman Mirza
Sri Lankan opener Pathum Nissanka, who was in good form in 2025, will look to continue that form in the first match of 2026 and deliver a match-winning performance against Pakistan.
Nissanka will have to deal with the bowling of Mohammad Salman Mirza, who has made a good start to his international career and will look to build on that by leading his team to a win in this particular match.
Kusal Mendis vs Abrar Ahmed
Nissanka’s top-order partner Kusal Mendis would also like to make a good start to the year with an eye on the T20 World Cup.
Mendis will face Abrar Ahmed, who is expected to get a place in the playing eleven for the first T20 match.
Fakhar Zaman vs Dushmantha Chameera
If experienced opener Fakhar Zaman gets a chance to open the innings in the upcoming match, he would like to play aggressively.
Fakhar will face Dushmantha Chameera, who will have the responsibility of taking wickets with the new ball.
Sahibzada Farhan vs Wanindu Hasaranga
Sahibzada Farhan, who had some good performances last year, will be hoping to repeat the same performance in the first game of the year.
Sahibzada Farhan will face the challenge of Wanindu Hasaranga, who will handle Sri Lanka’s spin bowling department and will try to take wickets at regular intervals for the team while maintaining his economy to put pressure on the batsmen.
Sri Lanka vs Pakistan Key Players:
number , Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, Kamil Mishara, Dushmantha Chameera, Wanindu Hasaranga
Clean– Sahibzada Farhan, Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayub, Usman Tariq, Abrar Ahmed
Sri Lanka vs Pakistan Weather Report:
There is a 65% chance of rain during the second day of play in Dambulla, with a maximum temperature of 24°C and a minimum of 18°C.
conclusion
Both the teams will try to give their all to win the opening match of the series and take a 1-0 lead in the series.
