T20 World Cup 2026: Pakistan drops Babar Azam for crucial clash, Sri Lanka also makes two changes

Pallekele (Sri Lanka): Pakistan is facing Sri Lanka in a crucial Super 8 Group 2 encounter of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 on Saturday. Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bowl first in the match being played in Pallekele. Pakistan made three changes to its team for this crucial match. Senior player Babar Azam was dropped from the playing XI. In addition to Babar, Saim Ayub and Salman Mirza are also not playing. Naseem Shah, Khawaja Nafe, and Abrar Ahmed have been included in the final XI.

Why is this match significant?

Sri Lanka has been eliminated from the semi-final race, but Pakistan remains in the race. However, it faces a significant challenge. Pakistan, batting first, must win by at least 64 runs to surpass New Zealand's net run rate and reach the semi-finals.

What were the changes to the teams?

Pakistan made three changes to the playing XI, replacing senior batsmen Babar Azam, Saim Ayub, and Salman Mirza with Naseem Shah, Khawaja Nafe, and Abrar Ahmed. Sri Lanka made two changes, replacing Kusal Mendis and Dushan Hemantha with Kamil Mishara and Janith Liyanage.

What happened at the toss?

After winning the toss, Sri Lankan captain Dasun Shanaka said that the pitch was good and he wanted to bat later due to the possibility of dew. There are two changes to Sri Lanka's playing XI, with Kamil Mishara returning. Kusal Mendis is out due to injury, while Hemantha has also been dropped, with Janith replacing him.

"We gonna bowl first. It is a good pitch and later on there might be dew as well. We got some good players in our lineup and of course, we need to do our basics right. So yeah, we didn’t do the basics well enough to pull out a win in the last two games. But here, we know we need to make it right in all three departments," Dasun Shanaka said.

"They (the fans) still always love us regardless of whether we win or lose, so it’s good motivation, I think. Thank you very much for all the fans here," he added. 

Pakistan captain Salman Agha said that he too wanted to bowl first. Salman Agha said that there are three changes in his team. Babar Azam is not playing today's match. Saim Ayub and Salman Mirza are also out.

"It’s a massive opportunity. We just need to play a perfect game, bowl well, bat well, and field well, and I think everything will be fine. Yeah, we would have bowled first definitely, but there is no way we can do that while batting. So you just need to put up a good total and try to restrict them. It’s a mix, (knowing the calculations) to be very honest. Sometimes it can be tough and sometimes it’s easy. You have the freedom to go and just play shots or you know what you need to do. But yeah, it’s a mixed kind of a thing. We’ll just try to play a perfect game and I think the rest will be fine," Salman Agha said.

"Yeah, we got three changes. Babar Azam, Saim Ayub, and Salman Mirza are not playing. Naseem Shah, Khawaja Nafay, and Abrar Ahmed are playing," he added.

What are the playing XIs?

Pakistan (Playing XI): Sahibzada Farhan, Fakhar Zaman, Salman Agha (captain), Khawaja Nafe, Usman Khan (wicketkeeper), Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Abrar Ahmed, Usman Tariq

Sri Lanka (Playing XI): Pathum Nissanka, Kamil Mishara (wicketkeeper), Charith Asalanka, Pawan Ratnayake, Kamindu Mendis, Dasun Shanaka (captain), Janith Liyanage, Dunith Wellalage, Maheesh Theekshana, Dushmantha Chameera, Dilshan Madushanka