HAMBANTOTA, Sri Lanka (AP) — Pakistan has won the toss against Afghanistan and elected to bat first in the first one-day international on Tuesday.

The three-match series will help both teams prepare for next week’s Asia Cup in Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Afghanistan has retained the majority of the side which won its first bilateral ODI series against Bangladesh. Teenager Noor Ahmed has returned but the spinner wasn’t in the XI for the first game.

Pakistan is at full strength for the opener to give players match time for the Asia Cup.

That meant recalled allrounder Faheem Ashraf and middle-order batter Saud Shakeel couldn’t make it into the XI. Beside three frontline pacemen — Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah — Pakistan also included two leg-spinners in Shadab Khan and Usama Mir.

Pakistan could got on top of the ODI rankings if it sweeps Afghanistan in the series.

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Lineups:

Pakistan: Imam-ul-Haq, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam (captain), Mohammad Rizwan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan, Usama Mir, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf.

Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (captain), Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb-Ur-Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Abdul Rahman, Ikram Ali Khail.

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AP cricket:

https://apnews.com/hub/cricket