Pakistan and Sri Lanka will be heading into the series under new captains Getty Images
Pakistan and Sri Lanka will be heading into the series under new captains Getty Images

The last Pakistan were seen in whites was May 13. Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan called it quits. Sarfraz Ahmed was officially named captain across formats. They also saw the return of international cricket back in their nation. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, witnessed Angelo Mathews resign. Dinesh Chandimal being named the captain for Tests and Upul Tharanga as limited-overs cricket. Sri Lanka will enter the contest after earning a confirmed spot in 2019 World Cup would want to aside their forgettable 3-match Test series against India. The live streaming of the match will be available on Sony LIV.

 

Playing without Younis and Misbah is unaccustomed territory for Pakistan, who haven’t had a Test featuring neither of the talismanic, prolific pair in seven years. Together, Younis and Misbah have lifted the team to the top of the Test rankings in August last year. They have dominated the batting at Pakistan’s venues in UAE, where they have been forced to play home games since a deadly terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore in 2009. The pair made Pakistan so invincible that they have not lost any of the nine series they have played in UAE, with new captain Sarfraz admitting it will be tough to replace them.

On the other hand, skipper Chandimal believes his team will have to be at their best to beat Pakistan, despite the lack of their two long serving players.

Sri Lanka will be buoyed by the return of their pace spearheads Nuwan Pradeep and Suranga Lakmal, who suffered injuries last month.