Pakistan eye series whitewash against Sri Lanka in final T20 today

LAHORE: The Gaddafi cricket stadium is all set to host the third and final match of Twenty20 (T20) series tonight between Pakistan and Sri Lanka, marking an end of eight-year isolation from ‘international cricket’.

Pakistan will be looking for a great triumph tonight to inflict another clean sweep on Sri Lanka after blanking them lately in five one-day international (ODI) series.

Enduring two consecutive humiliating defeats, Sri Lanka will be looking to prevent the second whitewash in the three-match T20 series.

On the other hand, the occasion marks the reviving of top-level international cricket as Sri Lanka become the first major cricket team to visit Pakistan since they came under an gun attack in 2009.

Sri Lanka’s team manager and batting coach – Asanka Gurusinha and Hashan Tillakarantne, who came under gunfire in 2009 – will be with the visiting team squad.

Security has been beefed up in the provincial capital of Lahore and some 10,000 personnel of police and paramilitary forces will guard teams as they travel back and forth from the stadium.

Change in event timings

The match will begin at 6:00pm (PST) on Sunday (today).

The start time was changed after bringing it forward by an hour due to prevailing weather and dew conditions in Lahore, besides the ceremonies will commence at 5pm, PCB chairman Najam Sethi said on his official twitter.

Match will start at 6 pm instead of 7 pm today because of smog and dew at night. Ceremonies will start at 5 pm. Come one, Come all!

— Najam Sethi (@najamsethi) October 29, 2017

The city traffic police have released a comprehensive traffic plan for Sunday as the two teams face off in the provincial capital.

Chief Traffic Officer Lahore Rai Ejaz said that the traffic plan has been to facilitate commuters and maintain smooth traffic flow on the occasion.

Traffic plan

It merits mentioning here that Sri Lanka have recently played two Tests, five one-day internationals and the first two Twenty20 matches of the series in the United Arab Emirates.

“It´s a historic moment,” PCB chairman Najam Sethi told AFP on Friday. “With improved security we hope fully fledged international cricket will return to Pakistan in the next two years.”

Squads

Pakistan: Sarfraz Ahmed (c & wk), Fakhar Zaman, Ahmed Shehzad, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Hafeez, Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Aamer Yamin, Mohammad Amir, Rumman Raees, Usman Shinwari, Umar Amin

Sri Lanka: Thisara Perera (c), Dilshan Munaweera, Danushka Gunathilaka, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Ashan Priyanjan, Mahela Udawatte, Dasun Shanaka, Sachith Pathirana, Vikum Sanjaya, Lahiru Gamage, Seekkuge Prasanna, Vishwa Fernando, Isuru Udana, Jeffrey Vandersay and Chathuranga de Silva, Minod Bhanuka.