Rawalpindi: The trophy for the tri-nation cricket series featuring Pakistan, England and Sri Lanka has been unveiled ahead of the tournament, which is set to begin on Sunday.

The opening match will see Pakistan take on Sri Lanka in Rawalpindi. A total of seven matches will be played during the series, with three scheduled in Rawalpindi and four in Lahore, including the final. All matches will begin at 1:00 PM.

Following the trophy unveiling, the captains of all three teams addressed separate press conferences, sharing their expectations and strategies for the upcoming competition.

Pakistan's ODI captain Shaheen Afridi welcomed England and Sri Lanka to Pakistan, saying that winning the series was the team's primary objective. He added that the squad had already developed its strategy for the tournament.

Shaheen said the series would also help Pakistan prepare for the World Cup and assess players for the tournament squad. Describing Babar Azam as the backbone of the team, he said the squad was united and that Salman Ali Agha had also been performing exceptionally well. He noted that Agha had recently scored a triple century in first-class cricket.

Sri Lanka captain Kusal Mendis said his team had learned valuable lessons from the T20 series. He stressed that no team could be considered the favourite in advance, adding that the side which performed better on the field would emerge victorious.

England captain Harry Brook described playing cricket in Pakistan as challenging but said he felt more confident while playing in the country. He revealed that he had played in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) at the age of 22, an experience that had significantly helped him in international cricket.

Brook further stated that playing as many matches as possible before the World Cup would benefit the team and provide valuable preparation ahead of the major tournament.

The tri-series is expected to offer all three teams an important opportunity to test their combinations, assess player performances and fine-tune their strategies ahead of the World Cup.