Pakistan Will Wear Pink Jerseys Against Sri Lanka in the Tri-Series Opener to Raise Breast Cancer Awareness

Rawalpindi will look a little different on Sunday, October 18. For the opening match of the ODI tri-series against Sri Lanka, Pakistan’s players will walk out not in their familiar green, but in pink — a one-match change made for a reason that has nothing to do with fashion.

October is observed around the world as Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and the Pakistan Cricket Board has partnered with Pink Ribbon Pakistan for the occasion. The thinking is straightforward. Cricket reaches living rooms that a health campaign never could, and if one evening of pink shirts nudges more women towards regular screening and early diagnosis, it will have done its job — caught early, the disease is far more treatable.

Pink well beyond the shirts

The colour will run through the whole ground. Players from both sides, the match officials and the coaching staff will wear pink ribbons. The LED boundary boards, the match-day signage and even the stumps will carry the same theme. Commentators and presenters will wear ribbons during the broadcast and share awareness and prevention information with viewers at home. Free mammogram checkups for women are also part of the initiative.

On the field, preparations have been business as usual. Pakistan trained at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium under head coach Mike Hesson, working through batting, bowling and fielding drills ahead of the opener. Shaheen Shah Afridi captains the side, with Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Salman Ali Agha, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf among those in the squad. Pakistan beat Sri Lanka 2-1 in the T20 series at this same venue earlier this month. The three-team series, which also involves England, runs in Rawalpindi and Lahore until October 31 and doubles as preparation for the 2027 ODI World Cup.