Dimuth Karunaratne to lead strong Sri Lankan squad for upcoming Test series in Pakistan

Sport360 staff 12:43 29/11/2019
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  • Sri Lanka have named a strong squad led by Dimuth Karunaratne for next month’s tour of Pakistan where they are slated to play two Tests against the hosts.

    The islanders had toured Pakistan in October as well for three ODIs and as many T20Is but had done so with highly rejigged squads. As many as 10 senior Sri Lanka players including Karunaratne and Lasith Malinga had pulled out of that tour after citing security concerns.

    However, the latest Test outfit announced by Sri Lanka Cricket on Friday is a near full-strength one with no star names pulling out.

    The team will depart for Pakistan on December 8 with the first Test between the two sides set to get underway in Rawalpindi on December 11.

    The second Test will be held at Karachi and begins on December 19. Both the clashes are a part of the ICC World Test Championship.

    When the series begins, it will be the first time Test cricket has been held on Pakistan soil in over a decade. The last team to play a Test match was Sri Lanka itself during their tour of 2009. However, a terrorist attack on their team bus in Lahore saw the tour come to an abrupt end.

    That incident brought international cricket in the country to a near standstill with Pakistan subsequently playing its home Test matches in the UAE.

    The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) are hoping that the upcoming series will lay the groundwork for more international teams to play Test cricket in Pakistan.

    Sri Lanka Test squad: Dimuth Karunaratne (C), Oshada Fernando, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Kusal Janith Perera, Lahiru Thirimanne, Dhananjaya De Silva, Niroshan Dickwella, Dilruwan Perera, Lasith Embuldeniya, Suranga Lakmal, Lahiru Kumara, Vishwa Fernando, Kasun Rajitha, Lakshan Sandakan.

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