Pakistan opt to bowl first against Sri Lanka

Pakistan have won the toss and have opted to field first against Sri Lanka in Asia Cup 2022 final match on Sunday in Dubai.

Teams:

Sri Lanka (Playing XI): Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis(w), Danushka Gunathilaka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Dasun Shanaka(c), Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne, Pramod Madushan, Maheesh Theekshana, Dilshan Madushanka

Pakistan (Playing XI): Mohammad Rizwan(w), Babar Azam(c), Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan, Asif Ali, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Hasnain

Sri Lanka won each of their Super Four matches chasing, and will have to do it the other way on the big night. But it's a final. A good score on the board can go a long way.

Shanaka: Would've bowled as well. But happy to bat as it's a final. Openers have stood up. Madushanka and Mahesh have been brilliant. Good sign for World Cup. Record has been good in this tournament. Same team.

Azam: We'll bowl first. Looking forward to the match. Confidence level is high. We've played very well in this tournament. Every match we have new POTM. Shadab, Naseem back. Usman and Hasan out.

The batting from Pakistan has wobbled in the last couple of games. They were rescued by Naseem Shah's back-to-back sixes against Afghanistan, before coming a cropper against Sri Lanka. They generally take a different approach to Sri Lanka and look to build a platform before unleashing in the last few overs. And Babar Azam's form hasn't helped with that. Will the captain turn it around today on what looks a good pitch?

"This pitch has never been used before. Looks really good pitch. For batting and for bowling. With the new ball, it might swing one or two overs tops. But this pitch is one of the best in this Asia Cup. These pitches have been the best in the world." - the pitch report by Sanjay Manjrekar and Wasim Akram