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Former captain Rashid Latif has urged Pakistan to make a few changes to their playing XI for the must-win Super Four clash against Sri Lanka in the ACC Men’s Asia Cup 2025.
Both sides head into the contest under pressure after opening-round defeats. Pakistan suffered a crushing loss to arch-rivals India, while Sri Lanka were undone by a spirited Bangladesh side.
Latif, writing on his official Facebook account, proposed a new-look batting order that sees wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Haris and youngster Hassan Nawaz opening the innings.
This reshuffle pushes Fakhar Zaman and Saim Ayub down to three and four, with Sahibzada Farhan, Pakistan’s leading run-scorer in the tournament, dropped from the XI.
Farhan has scored 132 runs in four games, making him the team’s highest run-getter and third overall in the competition.
However, his modest strike rate of 101.53 has drawn criticism, and Rashid Latif believes Pakistan cannot afford a slow start in a do-or-die fixture.
For the middle order, Latif suggested Hussain Talat at five and captain Salman Ali Agha at six, followed by Mohammad Nawaz at seven. All-rounder Faheem Ashraf was omitted.
The bowling unit, according to Latif’s plan, would feature Shaheen Afridi at eight, spinners Sufiyan Muqeem and Abrar Ahmed at nine and ten, and Haris Rauf as the spearhead at eleven, offering Pakistan a mix of pace and spin options.
Rashid Latif’s Playing XI for Sri Lanka clash
Mohammad Haris (wk), Hassan Nawaz, Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayub, Hussain Talat, Salman Ali Agha (c), Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem, Abrar Ahmed, and Haris Rauf.
