 After a disappointing result in the ODIs, Pakistan will be looking to make
amends in the test matches to gain some positives from their tour of Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka will be eager to remain a competitive side in home conditions
when the first test starts at Galle from Friday.
Pakistan only have themselves to blame for conceding the ODI series. They lost
two matches from seemingly won situations and have plenty of soul searching to
do ahead of the test matches.
Click for Live Score Card of Sri Lanka Vs Pakistan
In addition, they have lost Misbah ul Haq who has been given a one-match ban
following the team's slow over-rate in the final ODI. Mohammad Hafeez,
the T20 captain, will step in to fill the void.
The squad sees quite a few changes from the ODIs, with the likes of Taufeeq Umar, Faisal Iqbal, Adnan Akmal and Junaid Khan flying in. Younis Khan,
terribly out of form in the ODIs, will look to be more at ease in his more favored
format.
Pakistan's lineup would not be easy to guess given their fragilities in the
various departments. Mohammad Sami would consider himself extremely lucky
to be selected after the horror show in the last one-dayer.
Sri Lanka will be on a high following their tremendous self-belief and fighting
spirit that won them the last two matches as well as the series.
Mahela Jayawardene will be hoping for similar results in the test matches. The
squad for the first match includes Thisara Perera who was the Man-of-the-Series
in the ODIs.
Jeevan Mendis is the only uncapped player in the squad while the batting will
largely depend on the experienced trio of Tillkaratne Dilshan, Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara. Rangana Herath can prove to be more than a handful
provided his previous successes against Pakistan in home conditions.
The match will be played in Galle that has been a happy hunting ground for the
hosts.
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