After being away from Test cricket for a few months now, the Pakistan cricket team will return to the longest format with a tricky series against Sri Lanka away from home in their first assignment of the new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle. Pakistan had a disappointing showing in WTC 23 as they failed to win a single series at home losing to Australia and England, while drawing against New Zealand.
Now, playing a series outside the flat tracks at home could actually be a blessing in disguise for Pakistan. Even though Sri Lanka are not an easy nut to crack in their own backyard but these two Tests provide Pakistan an opportunity to test themselves in the sub-continent. The best thing about the home season for Pakistan was finding Sarfaraz Ahmed, the former captain still having the ability to score at this level.
Ahmed scored a Test ton after four years and gave Pakistan's line-up the meaning and depth they desperately needed in Test matches. On the other hand, Sri Lanka were on the verge of qualifying for the WTC final in the last cycle but lost the series to New Zealand after not turning up in crunch moments. The first assignment at home against another sub-continental team should be a good challenge for Sri Lanka and the hosts will be hoping to come out trumps.
Here's all you need to know about Sri Lanka vs Pakistan series:
Full Schedule
1st Test - July 16-20, Galle
2nd Test - July 24-28, SSC Colombo
Squads
Sri Lanka (for first Test): Dimuth Karunaratne (c), Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Dhananjaya de Silva, Kamindu Mendis, Nishan Madushka (wk), Sadeera Samarawickrama (wk), Ramesh Mendis, Prabath Jayasuriya, Lakshitha Manasinghe, Praveen Jayawickrama, Dilshan Madushka, Vishwa Fernando, Kasun Rajitha, Pathum Nissanka.
Pakistan: Babar Azam (c), Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Huraira, Shan Masood, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (vc) (wk), Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Salman Ali Agha, Mohammad Nawaz, Aamer Jamal, Abrar Ahmed, Hassan Ali, Naseem Shah, Nauman Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi.
Live streaming and telecast
The two Test matches between Sri Lanka and Pakistan will have a 10 AM IST start. The SL-PAK Test series will have a live telecast through Sony Sports Network in India while the matches can be live-streamed on the SonyLiv app and website.
