Pakistan will bat first after losing the toss against the United States in their T20 World Cup clash in Colombo’s Sinhalese Sports Club Ground on Tuesday.

As per the PCB, pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi became the seventh Pakistan player to complete the milestone of 100 T20I matches after playing against the USA. Prior to the match, Afridi received a commemorative cap from fellow pacer Naseem Shah in recognition of the achievement.

The T20 World Cup, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, began on February 7 but was overshadowed after Bangladesh refused to play in India citing security concerns amid soured political relations between the neighbours.

Bangladesh were replaced by Scotland in the tournament after the International Cricket Council (ICC) rejected their request to move their matches to Sri Lanka. Pakistan expressed solidarity with Bangladesh and protested the ICC decision, subsequently announcing that the national team would not play against India.

The development to reverse Pakistan’s boycott followed negotiations that included the ICC and the cricket boards of Pakistan and Bangladesh, along with consultations among national leaders nations such as Sri Lanka and the United Arab Emirates.

On Sunday, ICC Deputy Chairman Imran Khawaja and Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) President Aminul Islam landed in Lahore and held marathon talks with Naqvi at Gaddafi Stadium.

During the meeting, Khawaja urged Pakistan to reconsider its decision not to play against India, saying the team should participate “in the broader interest of cricket”. The BCB president thanked Pakistan for its support during the talks.

Subsequently, on Monday, Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake urged Pakistan to play its T20 World Cup clash against India in a conversation with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, recalling Pakistan’s past solidarity with Sri Lankan cricket during difficult times.

The government late on Monday night directed the Pakistan national cricket team to take the field on February 15, with the decision taken to “protect the spirit of cricket”.

The ICC also confirmed that no penalties or sanctions would be imposed on Bangladesh in relation to its non-participation in the T20 World Cup. In a joint statement with the PCB and BCB, the governing body noted that Bangladesh remains a valued full member with a rich cricketing history and a vital role in global cricket development.

Squads

Pakistan: 1 Sahibzada Farhan, 2 Saim Ayub, 3 Salman Ali Agha (capt), 4 Babar Azam, 5 Shadab Khan, 6 Usman Khan (wk), 7 Mohammad Nawaz, 8 Faheem Ashraf, 9 Shaheen Afridi, 10 Usman Tariq, 11 Abrar Ahmed

US: Andries Gous (wk), 2 Shayan Jahangir, 3 Monank Patel (capt), 4 Milind Kumar, 5 Sanjay Krishnamurthi, 6 Shubham Ranjane, 7 Harmeet Singh, 8 Mohammad Mohsin, 9 Shadley van Schalkwyk, 10 Ehsan Adil, 11 Saurabh Netravalkar