Babar Azam’s Pakistan cricket team will be eyeing a series whitewash against Sri Lanka as the two sides face off in the second Test beginning at the Sinhalese Sports Club ground in Colombo on Monday. Pakistan are 1-0 up in the two-match Test series after winning the 1st Test at Galle by four wickets last week.
Pakistan are currently in the No. 1 position in the new cycle of the World Test Championships (WTC) and will look to retain the top spot with a win in the second Test as well. Saud Shakeel was the star of the 1st Test win with his maiden double century and Pakistan should go into the second Test with the same side apart from possibly Hasan Ali coming in for spinner Noman Ali.
For Sri Lanka, batter Asitha Fernando is available for selection after recovering from a bout of dengue fever while pacer Dilshan Madhushanka could earn a Test cap at the expense of Vishwa Fernando. This is the first Test being played at Sinhalese Sport Club since 2018 and the home side have won three and lost three of their last six Tests at this venue.
Saud Shakeel is 182 runs off reaching 1,000 Test runs. If he reaches the milestone in this Test, it will make him the fastest Pakistani player to achieve the feat (by innings), and put him in the fifth fastest ever to achieve it.
Venue: Sinhalese Sport Club, Colombo
Date & Time: July 24 to 28, 930am IST onwards
Live Streaming and TV details: Sony Sports Network and SonyLIV website and app.
Wicketkeepers: Sarfaraz Ahmed, Sadeera Samarawickrama
Batters: Shan Masood, Saud Shakeel, Angelo Mathews
All-rounders: Agha Salman, Dhananjaya de Silva, Ramesh Mendis
Bowlers: Abrar Ahmed, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Prabath Jayasuriya
Captain: Saud Shakeel
Vice-captain: Dhananjaya de Silva
Sri Lanka: Dimuth Karunaratne (c), Nishan Madushka, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Dhananjaya de Silva, Sadeera Samarawickrama (wk), Ramesh Mendis, Prabath Jayasuriya, Asitha Fernando, Vishwa Fernando/Kasun Rajitha/Dilshan Madushanka
Pakistan: Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Shan Masood, Babar Azam (c), Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Saud Shakeel, Agha Salman, Noman Ali/Hasan Ali, Naseem Shah, Abrar Ahmed, Shaheen Shah Afridi
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