Sri Lanka will take on Pakistan in the first of the three-match T20I series. The SL vs PAK Match Preview provides today’s match details for the first match.

SL vs PAK Match Preview- 1st T20I, Pakistan Tour of Sri Lanka 2026:

Date and Venue:

The SL vs PAK match will be played on January 7 at Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium in Dambulla. The game will start at 7:00 PM IST.

Squads:

Sri Lanka

Dasun Shanaka (c) Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, Kusal Perera, Dhananjaya de Silva, Niroshan Dickwella, Janith Liyanage, Charith Asalanka, Kamindu Mendis, Pawan Rathnayake, Sahan Arachchige, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dunith Wellalage, Milan Ratnayake, Nuwan Thushara, Eshan Malinga, Dushmantha Chameera, Pramod Madushan, Matheesha Pathirana, Dilshan Madushan, Maheesh Theekshana, Dushan Hemantha, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, Trevin Mathew, Kamil Mishara

Your daily dose of cricket!

Pakistan

Salman Ali Agha (c), Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Nafay, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan, Usman Tariq

SL vs PAK Key battles:

Pathum Nissanka vs Mohammad Salman Mirza

Sri Lankan opener Pathum Nissanka, who was in good form in 2025, would like to carry that into the first match of 2026 and deliver a match-winning performance against Pakistan.

Nissanka will have to tackle the bowling of Mohammad Salman Mirza, who has had a good start to his international career and would want to build on it by bowling his team to victory in this particular match.

Kusal Mendis vs Abrar Ahmed

Nissanka’s partner at the top of the order, Kusal Mendis would also aim for a good start to the year with the T20 World Cup in sight.

Mendis will take on Abrar Ahmed, who is expected to find a place in the playing XI for the first T20I.

Fakhar Zaman vs Dushmantha Chameera

Experienced opener Fakhar Zaman would look to play in an aggressive manner if he gets to open the innings in the upcoming match.

Fakhar will be up against Dushmantha Chameera, who will be entrusted to pick wickets with the new ball.

Sahibzada Farhan vs Wanindu Hasaranga

Sahibzada Farhan, who had a few decent outings last year, would hope to replicate the same performance in the first game of the year.

Sahibzada Farhan will face the challenge of Wanindu Hasaranga, who will handle Sri Lanka’s spin bowling department and will look to pick wickets at regular intervals for the team while maintaining his economy in order to create pressure on the batters.

SL vs PAK Key Players:

SL – Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, Kamil Mishara, Dushmantha Chameera, Wanindu Hasaranga

PAK– Sahibzada Farhan, Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayub, Usman Tariq, Abrar Ahmad

SL vs PAK Weather Report:

There is a 65% chance of rain during day two of the game in Dambulla, with a maximum temperature of 24°C and a minimum of 18°C.

Conclusion

Both teams will look to give it their all in the series opener in a bid to win the match and take a 1-0 lead in the series.

LONDON: Individuals from white British and Indian ethnic groups have seen substantial increases in median wealth in Britain since 2012, whilst the wealth of those of Pakistani ethnicity has seen a marked decline, a new report from the London School of Economics (LSE) shows.Individuals from Asian Other and white Other ethnic groups also experienced substantial increases in median wealth from 2012/2014 up to 2021/2023, In contrast, wealth among individuals from the Pakistani ethnic group dropped sharply and black African, black Caribbean, and Bangladeshi ethnic groups remained with “almost no accumulated household wealth throughout”, it said.The largest gains were experienced by the Indian and Asian Other groups, with median wealth rising by £93,000 for the Indian ethnic group.UK-born adults from the Indian group “have a clear wealth advantage” over both non-UK-born Indians and the white British group, it said.The report, titled “The Ethnic Wealth Divide in the UK: Mapping Disparities Across Time, Age and Immigrant Generations”, by Eleni Karagiannaki, research fellow at LSE, used data from the UK Household Longitudinal Survey to show how ethnic wealth gaps have widened in 24-month periods from 2012/14 to 2021/2023.Adults from Pakistani, Bangladeshi, black Caribbean, and black African ethnic groups reported significantly lower savings than those from the white British, Other Asian, and Indian ethnic groups, with PIOs recording the highest levels. More than 50% of adults among the Bangladeshi, Pakistani, and black African groups had no savings.Whilst white British, white other, and Indian individuals are more likely to move up from the bottom quartile, Pakistani and black African individuals are more vulnerable to downward mobility from the top, it said.In 2012/14, adults in the white British, Indian, and Asian Other groups already had higher rates of home and investment ownership compared to other groups. By 2021/23, these gaps had widened further, as these groups increased ownership while Bangladeshi, black Caribbean, and Pakistani groups saw sharp declines, particularly in home ownership.“Indian and white British groups typically experience steadier income growth across the life-course, enabling earlier asset accumulation. Pakistani and Bangladeshi groups exhibit the widest income gaps relative to the white British group than any ethnic minority group,” it said.

Sikandar Raza of Paarl Royals celebrates getting the wicket of MI Cape Town captain Rashid Khan during match 13 of the Betway SA20 season 4 between MI Cape Town (MICT) and Paarl Royals (PR) held at the Newlands Cricket Stadium in Cape Town, South Africa on the 4th January 2026. (Photo Credit: Shaun Roy / Sportzpics for SA20)

TimesofIndia.com in Cape Town: Sikandar Raza’s journey from Sialkot to Zimbabwe was far from straightforward. It took him through unexpected detours that included dreams of becoming a pilot and earning a degree in computing from a university in Glasgow, before cricket finally took centre stage after his family moved to Zimbabwe.After a sombre few years in international cricket, followed by a life-threatening bone marrow infection in 2021, the all-rounder, now in the twilight of his career has reinvented himself as a bona fide globetrotter across T20 leagues worldwide. Last week, he added another milestone by becoming the first cricketer from Zimbabwe to make an appearance in the SA20.

In a professional career spanning close to two decades, the 39-year-old Raza has featured for a whopping 43 teams, 22 just in different leagues, and continues to shuttle between tournaments with ease. One such move was ahead of him after wrapping the ILT20 campaign with the Sharjah Warriorz as he was set to join the Paarl Royals in South Africa. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!The veteran, however, faced one of the biggest setbacks in his life as he lost his 13-year-old brother in Harare on December 29. It happened around the time he was scheduled to join his SA20 team for the ongoing fourth edition of the T20 tournament. Putting the personal tragedy aside, Raza made a strong statement by joining the Paarl Royals for the SA20 and has made an instant impact in his two outings so far.

Paarl Royals Sikandar Raza celebrates a wicket. (Photo Credit: Halden Krog / Sportzpics for SA20)

“I think that part of my life will always be difficult,” Raza said in a select media interaction after the Royals beat MI Cape Town on Sunday. “But I did say to my team as well, if I wasn’t mentally, physically and emotionally ready, I wouldn’t be here. ‘The fact that I think that I can add value, I’ve decided to join you, and I will take nothing away from you. I’ll give as much as I can to the team, the energy, the experience, whatever you ask me to do, I’ll do it’. So yeah, it’s nice to be here,” he further added.Every wicket he took in the backdrop of the table top mountain at Newlands was celebrated with renewed gusto. The slight arch of the back, arms spread wide and the feisty fist pump with gentle raise of the right knee happened not once but on four occasions as he ran through the MI unit with figures of 4/13. A street-smart cricketer who offers a complete package in the shortest format, Raza has had outings in leagues like IPL, BPL, PSL and ILT20 and feels good performances by Zimbabweans opens up more doors for players back home.

Sikandar Raza of Paarl Royals sends down a delivery during match 13 of the Betway SA20 season 4 between MI Cape Town (MICT) and Paarl Royals (PR) held at the Newlands Cricket Stadium in Cape Town, South Africa on the 4th January 2026. (Photo by Shaun Roy / Sportzpics for SA20)

“That is the whole idea, and that is the point as well. If you look at the last few years, whenever a Zimbabwean has gone to a league and done well, it has certainly opened doors for more Zimbabweans. I really feel blessed by the fact that I am the first Zimbabwean to play the SA20, and hopefully my performances can open doors for other Zimbabweans as well,” said Raza.Raza is a story of grit, faith and belief in the game. The personal challenges, professional setbacks have only pushed him to do better.“I remember there was a time when I used to look at the cricketers that used to do the circuit and I always used to say, Allah, when will my turn come? Now that my turn is here, I am grateful for every opportunity, for every team that have signed me, for every country I’ve been to. And I will not take anything for granted. I used to pray for times like this. Now that Allah has granted me this time, I will be forever grateful to Allah and to every single team that I’ve been part of,” explained an emotional Raza.

Zimbabwe’s captain Sikandar Raza, right, successfully appeals for LBW during the T20 International cricket match between Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka, at the Harare Sports Club, in Harare, Zimbabwe, Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025. (AP Photo/Wonder Mashura)

While there are rare off days in an year for Raza the T20 freelancer and he chooses to spend them indoors. Limelight isn’t something which excites him but the veteran does hope that his actions can inspire other Sikandars in Zimbabwe.“To be honest with you, when cricket is done, I try and stay away from the limelight, from people. I just try and stay indoors. I don’t like to hear or speak about myself, but if the conversations are happening, then Alhamdulillah, I feel very blessed. But having said that, hopefully my actions will inspire rather than hearing about what people think of me or what others are thinking about me. All I’m looking at is trying to keep doing the things I’m doing at the best of my ability, and hopefully my performances can inspire the other Sikanders in Zimbabwe and all over the world,” said the all-rounder.In around a month’s time, Raza will have the Zimbabwe jersey on for the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka. Having beaten Pakistan in the 2022 edition of the multi-nation tournament, the captain is geared up for the challenge and asserts how respect in world cricket is earned by good performances in the World Cup.

“Well, that’s the idea because the World Cup is really crucial in every cricketer’s life. And I always think for Zimbabwe to gain more respect in world cricket, World Cups play a huge part. So we have the mindset to go there and try and do really well so that we can come back with our goals set high and so that our people back home can have their heads high as well,” said Raza.Raza has had ideal preparation for the T20 World Cup with outings in the ILT20 and SA20, and would now hope that the rest of the group finds inspiration to punch above the weight when the T20 extravaganza gets underway next month.

You don’t have permission to access “http://www.ndtv.com/world-news/us-says-military-always-an-option-to-acquire-greenland-from-denmark-10433472” on this server.

Reference #18.27fdd417.1767737975.3b6915de

https://errors.edgesuite.net/18.27fdd417.1767737975.3b6915de

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) have officially approached the International Cricket Council (ICC), seeking the relocation of their matches in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 away from India. The move follows growing unease within the board over player safety, intensified by the recent release of star pacer Mustafizur Rahman from the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, BCB president Aminul Islam confirmed that the board has written to the ICC and will decide its next course of action based on the global body’s response.

BCB President explains his decision to approach ICC

Aminul Islam revealed that the decision was taken after extensive internal deliberations. “You know that we, along with all the directors of the cricket board, held two meetings before taking this decision and at this moment we do not feel secure sending our team to India to play the World Cup,” he said.

According to Aminul, the BCB’s letter to the ICC clearly outlines their concerns and requests. He emphasized that security is the primary issue driving the board’s stance, not competitive or political considerations. The BCB is now awaiting feedback from the ICC and expects a formal meeting to discuss the matter further.

“So we wrote a letter to the ICC, and in the letter we clearly stated what we wanted to say. We are expecting them to tell us to have a meeting with them soon where we will express our concern,” Aminul added.

Mustafizur Rahman’s IPL release: Reason of dispute

The controversy stems from Mustafizur being released from his IPL contract following a directive from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The decision, taken ahead of the IPL season, has been viewed by Bangladeshi officials as a worrying signal regarding the treatment and security of Bangladeshi players in India.

The BCB believes that if a contracted Bangladeshi cricketer can be prevented from participating in a domestic league, it raises broader concerns about the national team’s safety during a major ICC event hosted partly in India.

Aminul made it clear that the BCB has not engaged in any direct communication with the BCCI over the issue. “We are not communicating with BCCI because this is an ICC event. We are communicating with the ICC,” he stated.

He also noted that the clauses cited in the letter fall within the framework of the ICC’s hosting and participation agreements, suggesting that Bangladesh believes it has a legitimate procedural basis for raising the concern.

Also READ: Mustafizur Rahman’s IPL snub – BCCI responds to Bangladesh’s demand of shifting their T20 World Cup matches

India-Bangladesh relations and future tours

The incident has sparked speculation that India may be reluctant to tour Bangladesh for a scheduled white-ball series in September, given the strained relationship between the two boards. However, Aminul was keen to separate cricketing ties from security considerations.

“Cricket between the two countries, like playing a bilateral series or playing in the World Cup, is one thing and security concern is another matter,” he added. “So for now, we are thinking about the World Cup issue.”

Also READ: IPL 2026 – 3 players KKR can sign to replace Mustafizur Rahman if he misses out