Published: Jun 16, 2015, 08:53 AM (IST)
Edited: Jun 16, 2015, 12:41 PM (IST)
Sri Lanka will host Pakistan for first of the three-Test series starting on June 17 at Galle. This will be the first time Sri Lanka takes the field in whites at home after the retirement series of Mahela Jayawardene, which also happened to be against Pakistan in 2014.
Sri Lanka have not played any form of cricket after the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 and will be eager to get on the field to get some action going. They had a good outing in World Cup Down Under and will wish to emulate same form going into the cricketing season. Their first task is to host Pakistan for three Tests, five One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and a couple of Twenty20s. READ: Sri Lanka vs Pakistan 2015, 1st Test at Galle: SL likely XI
Sri Lanka named a 16-man squad for the Test series recalling Jehan Mubarak and Lahiru Thirimanne. Thirimanne had an impressive run in Australia will be wishing to resurrect his Test career. Sri Lanka’s bowling has been good at home and Rangana Herath will again be expected to lead them from the front with likes of Nuwan Pradeep and Dhammika Prasad to back him up.
Pakistan are coming off an impressive series against Zimbabwe: Who became the first nation to tour Pakistan after the 2009 attacks on Sri Lanka players. Unlike Sri Lanka, have played some cricket and will be looking to catch the Lankans rusty.
Pakistan axed Saeed Ajmal from the Test squad which came as a surprise to one and all. He did not get many chances at the first place and dropping him for a series in the sub-continent was a bit of a setback. The absence of Ajmal though makes things interesting for Yasir Shah who has impressed in his short stint. READ: Kumar Sangakkara looks to build on prolific Test record during Pakistan series ahead of retirement
Pakistan have recalled Ahmed Shehzad, who will be entrusted to come good at the top. Wahab Riaz, Junaid Khan will have to step up to expose the weakness of Sri Lankan batting line-up if Pakistan wish to have any chance of winning a Test series in the island country. Sarfraz Ahmed and Mohammad Hafeez have looked in good touch and will be key for their chances going forward. With no pressure of playing One-Day Internationals (ODI), Misbah-ul-Haq will be more than happy to contribute to the team’s Test success and lead his team well. READ: PCB to review Pakistan’s poor performance against Bangladesh
Pakistan fared reasonably well in the tour game as all of their batsmen barring Mohammad Hafeez got to spend time in the middle. Shan Masood who is also recalled in the squad was the top scorer for them in the second innings. However, they lost eight wickets to Jeffrey Vandersay in two innings and it is not a good sign going into the Test series, given that they already have had trouble countering Herath.
Pakistan’s bowling was not quite at its best but Zulfiqar Babar stepped up to take six for 31 in the first innings. In the absence of Ajmal, Pakistan could play both Babar and Shah. The pace bowlers for Pakistan did not have much success and Misbah will hope they can turn things around during the Tests. READ: Kumar Sangakkara to retire after 1st Test against India at Galle
Sri Lanka opener Kaushal Silva helped himself with a fine century to get back to his run scoring form. With the absence of Jayawardene, it is all the more important for the top-order to lay platform for a relatively weaker middle-order to make use of. Angelo Mathews will hope to get his men to play as a unit and start the season on a positive note.
The last time these two sides played a Test at Galle, Sri Lanka won the game by 7 wickets. It was the game in which Herath took six for 48 to bowl out Pakistan for a low score on the final day and the hosts chased it down to script a memorable victory. While Sri Lanka will be hoping to do an encore, Pakistan will hope to bat better. READ: Pakistan axe Saeed Ajmal for Test series in Sri Lanka
Squads:
Sri Lanka: Angelo Mathews (c), Lahiru Thirimanne, Kaushal Silva, Dimuth Karunaratne, Kumar Sangakkara, Dinesh Chandimal (wk), Kithruwan Vithanage, Jehan Mubarak, Kusal Perera, Rangana Herath, Dilruwan Perera, Tharindu Kaushal, Nuwan Pradeep, Dhammika Prasad, Dushmantha Chameera, and Suranga Lakmal (subject to fitness).
Pakistan: Misbah-ul-Haq (c), Azhar Ali, Mohammad Hafeez, Ahmed Shehzad, Shan Masood, Younis Khan, Asad Shafiq, Haris Sohail, Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), Yasir Shah, Zulfiqar Babar, Wahab Riaz, Junaid Khan, Imran Khan, Ehsan Adil
Time: 10.00 local time| 04.30 GMT
(Nikhil Popat is a diehard cricket enthusiast and a PotterHead till the end of time. He can be followed on Twitter @CricCrazyNIKS)
