Today at 12:30 a.m. ET Sri Lanka will kick off the first of three ODI matches vs. Pakistan at Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium in Hambantota. Live stream the matchup free by clicking this link. Both sides have won three of their last five matches, but the Sri Lankans are coming in on a two-match winning streak.
Sri Lanka has recently beaten Pakistan twice in the Test series, and also had good showings in the World T20 as well as the Asia Cup. They will bring stars such as Kumar Sangakkara and Lasith Malinga to the oval, while Pakistan is dealing with some issues.
Saeed Ajmal will be absent from this match, and Junaid Khan could miss the action as well as a result of a concussion. They will be welcoming Younis Khan back to their order, which should be a positive, but it could also disrupt the chemistry that has developed in the middle of the order.
Sharjeel Khan or Sohaib Maqsood may be left out of the starting 11 thanks to Younis Khan's return, and he hasn't played in an ODI since March of 2013. With bowlers missing and Younis Khan potentially shaking up the middle of the order, Mohammad Hafeez will be counted on at the top to be very productive.
STARTING SQUADS:
Sri Lanka
Angelo Mathews (capt), Tillakaratne Dilshan, Upul Tharanga, Kumar Sangakkara (wk), Mahela Jayawardena, Dinesh Chandimal, Ashan Priyanjan, Lahiru Thirimanne, Lasith Malinga, Nuwan Kulasekara, Dhammika Prasad, Rangana Herath, Seekuge Prasanna, Suraj Randiv, Thisara Perera
Pakistan: Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), Ahmed Shehzad, Anwar Ali, Fawad Alam, Junaid Khan, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Irfan, Mohammad Talha, Saeed Ajmal, Shahid Afridi, Sharjeel Khan, Sohaid Maqsood, Umar Akmal (wk), Wahab Riaz, Younis Khan, Zulfiqar Babar
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