Captain Shaheen Shah Afridi has been replaced by T20I skipper Salman Ali Agha for the remaining two ODI matches against Sri Lanka after he fell ill.
At the toss, Agha explained the team’s strategy and changes and said spinner Abrar Ahmed had been called up to the playing XI.
“Shaheen is unwell and Faheem is also missing, while Abrar Ahmed and Wasim Jr have been added,” Agha said.
He added: “We’re going to bowl first, we want to start well – if you don’t start well in the white-ball game then you’ll chase the game.”
Shaheen was named Pakistan captain on November 10, ahead of the three-match ODI series against South Africa, replacing Mohammad Rizwan.
In his first ODI assignment as skipper, he led Pakistan to a 2-1 win over the Proteas.
For those unfamiliar, Rizwan had led Pakistan in 20 ODIs, registering nine wins and suffering 11 defeats, with a win percentage of 45.
The 33-year-old was also named ODI and T20I captain on October 27 last year, ahead of Pakistan’s white-ball tours of Australia and Zimbabwe.
However, Rizwan’s stint as T20I captain was disappointing, with Pakistan losing all four T20Is under his leadership.
Following these defeats, Rizwan was removed as captain for the T20I, and all-rounder Salman Ali Agha was given charge of Pakistan in the shortest format, including the upcoming tour of New Zealand.
