After being away from Test cricket for a few months now, the Pakistan cricket team will return to the longest format with a tough series away from home against Sri Lanka in their first assignment of the new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle. Pakistan’s performance in WTC 23 was disappointing as they failed to win a single series at home, losing to Australia and England, while drawing against New Zealand.
Now, playing the series outside the flat pitches at home can actually prove to be a boon for Pakistan. Even though it is not easy for Sri Lanka to win on their own soil, but these two Tests give Pakistan a chance to test themselves in the subcontinent. The best part of the home season for Pakistan was that former captain Sarfraz Ahmed still has the ability to score at this level.
Ahmed scored a Test century after four years and gave the Pakistan team the meaning and depth they desperately needed in Test matches. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, were on the verge of qualifying for the WTC Finals in the last cycle but lost the series to New Zealand after not delivering at crucial moments. The first game at home against another sub-continent team should be a good challenge for Sri Lanka and the hosts will be hoping for a win.
Here is everything you need to know about the Sri Lanka vs Pakistan series:
full schedule
1st Test – July 16-20, Galle
Second Test – July 24-28, SSC Colombo
squads
Sri Lanka (for 1st Test): Dimuth Karunaratne (c), kusal mendis, angelo mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Dhananjay D’SilvaKamindu Mendis, Nishan Madushka (wk), Sadeera Samarawickrama (wk), Ramesh Mendis, Prabhat Jayasuriya, Lakshita Manasinghe, Praveen Jayawickrama, Dilshan Madushka, Vishwa Fernando, Kasun Rajitha, Pathum Nissanka.
Pakistan: Babar Azam (c), Abdullah Shafiq, imam ul haqMohammad Huraira, Shan Masood, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (Vice-Captain) (Wicket-keeper), Sarfaraz Ahmed (Wicket-keeper), Salman Ali Agha, Mohammad Nawaz, Aamer Jamal, Abrar Ahmed, Hasan Ali, Naseem Shah, Nauman Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi.
Live Streaming & Telecast
The two Test matches between Sri Lanka and Pakistan will start at 10 am IST. The SL-PAK Test series will be telecast live in India via Sony Sports Network, while the matches can be live-streamed on the SonyLiv app and website.