Pakistan captain Sahibzada Farhan hopes a new combination without star players Babar Azam and Shaheen Shah Afridi will come good against Sri Lanka in their Twenty20 International series starting in Rawalpindi on Friday.

The three-match series will see Farhan take on the skipper’s role after leading a second-string side to silver at the Asian Games in Japan, losing to India in the final last week.

Also missing from the squad are former T20I skipper Salman Agha and wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan, part of an exodus aimed at building the side for the 2028 T20I World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

“I am confident that this new combination is the best and will settle in this series,” said Farhan on Thursday.

“I know how to lead the side and I will not take pressure.”

Azam’s form had dipped in T20Is, and he was also dropped from Pakistan’s final match against Sri Lanka at the Twenty20 World Cup in February.

Shaheen is also out of favour for T20Is but will skipper Pakistan’s one-day international side in a tri-series with Sri Lanka and England starting in Rawalpindi from October 18.

Sri Lanka are also in a transition phase with star leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga and former skipper Charith Asalanka dropped for the tour.

Hasaranga is joint-fifth in the all-time T20I wicket-taking list with 163 in 101 games.

“Unfortunately, Wanindu is still injured, and we will miss him but we have a few other exciting players who I am sure will stand up and perform,” said Sri Lankan skipper Kusal Mendis.

“I think everyone knows how to play in Pakistan,” said Mendis, who played in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) earlier this year.

“Pakistan also have some new faces but their players are good and we know some of them from the PSL, so I hope our players will do well.”

The series will be the ninth bilateral T20I series between Pakistan and Sri Lanka and the 250th international cricket fixture between the two countries.

Pakistan have dominated their head-to-head record in the format, winning 18 of their 30 T20Is against Sri Lanka. The islanders have won 12.

Of the previous eight bilateral T20I series, Pakistan have won four and three have ended level. Sri Lanka’s only series victory came in 2019, when they completed a 3-0 sweep in Lahore.

The opening match will be played at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, with the second and third games scheduled at the same venue on October 11 and 13.

Squads

Pakistan: Sahibzada Farhan (captain), Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmed, Arafat Minhas, Fakhar Zaman, Hasan Nawaz, Muhammad Imran Randhawa, Khawaja Nafay (wicketkeeper), Maaz Sadaqat, Naseem Shah, Razaullah, Saim Ayub, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Shadab Khan, Sufiyan Moqim.

Sri Lanka: Kusal Mendis (captain), Kamil Mishara, Sineth Jayawardena, Lahiru Udara, Sahan Arachchige, Kamindu Mendis, Dasun Shanaka, Chamindu Wickramasinghe, Dunith Wellalage, Maheesh Theekshana, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, Dushmantha Chameera, Binura Fernando, Nuwan Thushara, Eshan Malinga.