Sri Lanka and Pakistan will face off in a three-match T20I series starting today (January 7). Here are the latest ICC team rankings.
The series will take place entirely in Dambulla, with matches scheduled on January 7, 9 and 11. Sri Lanka announced their squad only yesterday, with Dasun Shanaka leading, a role he is set to continue at the T20 World Cup next month, Until recently, Charith Asalanka had been in charge of the side. The uncapped Traveen Mathew, an off-spinner in the mould of Maheesh Theekshana, is the most interesting name in the 18-member squad.
Pakistan's squad came out on December 28, and was notable for the absence of two significant names in Babar Azam and Shaheen Shah Afridi. Haris Rauf and Mohammad Rizwan were also left out. These four players will complete their Big Bash League seasons, but leggie Shadab Khan was called up despite being part of the Sydney Thunder in that competition. Twenty-three-year-old batter Khawaja Nafay received a maiden Pakistan call-up to the squad captained by Salman Ali Agha.
Coming into the series, Pakistan sit above Sri Lanka in the ICC T20I rankings, but not by much. The two sides occupy seventh and eighth spot respectively in the rankings, with Pakistan rated at 235 to Sri Lanka's 228. However, even a 3-0 win for Sri Lanka will not change the teams' places in the table.
ICC men's T20I team rankings as of January 7, 2026
Rank | Team | Matches | Points | Rating |
1 | India | 71 | 19312 | 272 |
2 | Australia | 42 | 11199 | 267 |
3 | England | 45 | 11609 | 258 |
4 | New Zealand | 53 | 13318 | 251 |
5 | South Africa | 53 | 12739 | 240 |
6 | West Indies | 61 | 14424 | 236 |
| 7 | Pakistan | 73 | 17149 | 235 |
8 | Sri Lanka | 48 | 10951 | 228 |
9 | Bangladesh | 67 | 14925 | 223 |
10 | Afghanistan | 45 | 9895 | 220 |
11 | Ireland | 37 | 7438 | 201 |
12 | Zimbabwe | 66 | 13190 | 200 |
| 13 | Netherlands | 35 | 6366 | 182 |
14 | Scotland | 23 | 4178 | 182 |
15 | Namibia | 35 | 6344 | 181 |
16 | UAE | 60 | 10584 | 176 |
17 | Nepal | 42 | 7384 | 176 |
18 | USA | 33 | 5769 | 175 |
| 19 | Canada | 35 | 5374 | 154 |
20 | Oman | 47 | 7140 | 152 |
Sri Lanka vs Pakistan, 1st T20I live score:
1st T20I, Sri Lanka vs Pakistan
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- Ball by ball Over
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