Rawalpindi, Nov 18 (IANS) Sri Lanka have added Vijayakanth Viyaskanth to their T20I squad ahead of the tri-series against Pakistan and Zimbabwe, which is set to begin here on Tuesday.

Viyaskanth is currently in Doha and is a part of Lanka ‘A’ team in the ongoing ACC Men’s Asia Cup Rising Stars 2025. However, he will fly to Pakistan from Qatar to join the senior national team for the tri-series.

“Sri Lanka Cricket selectors have included leg-spinner Vijayakanth Viyaskanth in the National Men’s Squad for the T20I Tri-Series in Pakistan. He will travel to Pakistan directly from Qatar, where he was part of the Sri Lanka ‘A’ Team competing in the ‘Asia Cup Rising Stars’ Tournament. Viyaskanth has been drafted into the squad as Wanindu Hasaranga is yet to fully recover from the hamstring tightness he suffered during the ODI series,” Sri Lanka Cricket said in an official statement.

The T20I Tri-Nation Tournament, featuring Pakistan (hosts), Sri Lanka, and Zimbabwe, will serve as an important preparatory platform ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026.

Each team will participate in four matches, with the top two sides qualifying for the final on November 29. All seven T20I matches, including the summit clash, will now be held at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.

Earlier, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced a revised schedule for the tri-nation series. The opening game of the series, originally set for November 17, will now be played between Pakistan and Zimbabwe on November 18.

The slight schedule change occurred after the two matches in the ongoing ODI series against Sri Lanka were postponed by a day each, following requests from several team members to return to Sri Lanka after the suicide bombing in Islamabad.

Initially, Afghanistan was the third team in the tri-series alongside hosts Pakistan and Sri Lanka. However, they withdrew after three local cricketers were killed in airstrikes carried out by Pakistan in Paktika province, with Zimbabwe replacing them in the tri-series.

–IANS

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