Team leaves for Sri Lanka

LAHORE: Pakistan cricket team departed for Sri Lanka for a two-match Test series in the early hours of Wednesday.

The national Test squad led by Babar Azam will play a three-day warm-up match from July 11.

The first Test will begin on July 16 in Galle. Colombo will host the second Test from July 24.

The series will be played under the ICC Men’s World Test Championship Cycle of 2021–2023.

Pakistan were also to play a three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka. However, the series was scrapped in May on the request of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC).

The decision was taken because SLC is keen on holding the next edition of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) one week before the scheduled time.

This will be Pakistan’s final away assignment of the current ICC World Test Championship cycle.

The squad named for the series comprises three openers, four middle-order batters, three all-rounders, two wicketkeepers, two spinners and four pacers.

Squad: Babar Azam (captain), Mohammad Rizwan (vice-captain, wicketkeeper), Abdullah Shafique, Azhar Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Fawad Alam, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Nauman Ali, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Afridi, Shan Masood, and Yasir Shah.