He is Pakistan's regular ODI captain.
Why is Shaheen Afridi not playing the 2nd PAK vs SL ODI in Rawalpindi? That has been a major question since the toss, which Pakistan won and opted to bowl.
Shaheen has been their captain in ODIs, so his absence becomes all the more shocking, especially since the series is there to win. He had just begun this new role as an ODI leader after Mohammad Rizwan was sacked.
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During the toss, the stand-in captain, Salman Ali Agha, answered the burning ‘Why is Shaheen Afridi not playing’ question. He confirmed that the regular captain and ace pacer, Shaheen, was unavailable for selection because he is unwell.
He is down with the flu and was unfit to play the game. So, Pakistan had to rest him, and Agha, who is also the T20I captain, took over the leadership duties.
While he had a poor outing in the first ODI, Shaheen’s absence remains a big blow for the Men in Green, as they look to seal the series. His expertise with the new and old ball would have been more than handy, and he can also contribute heavily with the bat.
Wasim Jr has replaced him in the XI for this game. Meanwhile, Faheem Ashraf didn’t play either, with Abrar Ahmed coming in as an extra spinner.
Pakistan won the opening game by six runs, gaining an early lead. They will now have a chance to make it two wins in as many games and gain an unassailable 2-0 lead in the rubber.
After winning the toss, they opted to bowl first, as Sri Lanka did in the previous game, even though Pakistan’s win came while batting first. The deck might get easier, and some dew will settle later, which would make conditions easier for batting.
However, the pitch has already been nice for batters, and Pakistan might have to chase a big score. A few of their batters have lately been inconsistent, so it will be interesting to see how they perform as a batting unit in a big run chase.
For now, their primary task will be to restrict Sri Lanka to as low a score as possible. They have a good attack to do the job with the ball.
Pakistan: Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayub, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan(w), Salman Agha(c), Hussain Talat, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Abrar Ahmed
Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Kamil Mishara, Kusal Mendis(w), Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka(c), Janith Liyanage, Kamindu Mendis, Wanindu Hasaranga, Pramod Madushan, Dushmantha Chameera, Asitha Fernando
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