Abu Dhabi [UAE], September 23 : Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha won the toss and opted to field against Sri Lanka in their crucial Super Fours fixture at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in the ongoing Asia Cup in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.
Both teams endured horror outings last week. Sri Lanka were outfoxed by Bangladesh while Pakistan went down against arch-rival India in their respective Super Fours fixtures. A victory will take the winning side a step closer towards the final spot, while a defeat will leave them barely hanging in the tournament. The losing side's fate will rely on the outcomes of the other fixtures.
Pakistan skipper Salman Agha explained the factor behind his decision while emphasising the need to improve and said, "We will bowl first. Looks like a good wicket, don't think it will change much. We want to improve with the bat and ball. It's a new game, a new challenge. We want to focus on today. No changes."
Sri Lanka captain Charith Asalanka admitted that if he had won the toss, he would have elected to field first as well and said, "I would have done the same thing. It looks like a good pitch, don't mind batting first. We are playing good cricket, we need to improve in a few areas. Batting and bowling at the depth. There are two changes. Theekshana and Karunaratne are in. We thought that we might need one extra bowler, that's why we have brought in a bowler who can bat."
Pakistan (Playing XI): Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, Fakhar Zaman, Salman Agha(c), Hussain Talat, Mohammad Haris(w), Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed
Sri Lanka (Playing XI): Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis(w), Kusal Perera, Charith Asalanka(c), Dasun Shanaka, Kamindu Mendis, Chamika Karunaratne, Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Dushmantha Chameera, Nuwan Thushara.