T20 World Champions Sri Lanka look for a fresh beginning

Kusal Perera will be hoping to score big again

Sri Lanka were comprehensively beaten in both ODIs and Tests by a resurgent Pakistan and now the redundant Twenty20 series provides some respite for the seniors. It also allows the flexibility to field an experimental eleven.

The two sides face off at Colombo on a pitch that is expected to be a batting paradise. A run fest awaits the spectators, as the teams look to build a tentative XI for the upcoming World Twenty20 in India.

FORM GUIDE:

Pakistan:

Pakistan’s squad is laden with experienced T20 campaigners: Mohammad Hafeez, Shahid Afridi, who recently returned from the CPL in the Caribbean, Shoaib Malik, keeper-batsman Umar Akmal, and T20 freelancer Sohail Tanvir.

Their team selection has been extremely safe, although they have included Anwar Ali, Nauman Anwar and Zia-ul-Haq. Mohammad Hafeez was recently banned from bowling in international cricket, but will be retained in the side at number three for his contributions with the bat, which earned him the Man of the series award for the ODIs. The top order looks enhanced by the return of Mukhtar Ahmed, who had a spectacular debut in the Bangladesh T20s.

Ahmed Shehzad looks confident after a good ODI series, and will look to make consistent contributions at the top. Mohammad Rizwan, Shahid Afridi and Umar Akmal will form a potent looking middle order, which seems ominous for the Lankans, given that the pitch is expected to be dry and brown.

The bowling department will see the return of T20 specialist Sohail Tanvir as the only change in an otherwise strong lineup consisting of Yasir Shah, Mohammad Irfan and Anwar Ali.

Sri Lanka:

The Sri Lankan side is much more experimental than Pakistan’s, and a bunch of uncapped amateur players will be looking forward to their debut tomorrow. Jeffrey Vandersay, Shehan Jayasuriya, Dhananjaya de Silva and Chaturanga de Silva are all completely inexperienced on the international stage and have come into the side on the back of strong domestic returns.

They will rely heavily on the experience of seasoned veteran Tillakaratne Dilshan and captain Angelo Mathews. Fringe batsmen Kithuruwan Vithanage, Chamara Kapugedara and Milinda Siriwardana will be hoping to use the series as an opportunity to warrant selection in the future.

Kusal Perera impressed in the ODI series with an uncharacteristically composed hundred in the fifth match, and will probably keep wickets in the T20 series.

Chamara Kapugedara will also be making his comeback to international cricket in the middle order, probably at number four or five. Lasith Malinga, the Twenty20 captain, who led them to victory at last year’s World Twenty20 at home, looks a shadow of his 2013-14 self. Unfit and down on speed, Malinga has bowled extremely poorly throughout the ODI series. Fans will be hoping he can somehow regain his old form, as he has the ability to change the complexion of a game in the span of a few deliveries.

In the spotlight

This series is perhaps most important in the entire Pakistan outfit to Umar Akmal. Having been discarded from the ODI side since the World Cup, due to a lack of form and disciplinary issues, the prodigiously talented, yet consistently underperforming right-hander will hope to regain form and wriggle his way back into the national setup. At only 25, he is still young and is experienced enough on the international arena to bounce back quickly.

Kusal Perera was long cited as Sanath Jayasuriya’s successor at the top of the order, but has only recently begun to show glimpses of his extreme talent, preposterous timing, and immense hitting ability. He was the man of the match in both the games Sri Lanka won in the ODI series, and the Lankans will hope he has finally come of age after nearly thirty months of being in and out of the limited-overs sides.

Being a decent wicketkeeper makes Perera a handy all-round cricketer, who may be vital to Sri Lanka’s chances both in the immediate future as well as in the long term.

Probably playing XIs:

Pakistan:

1 Mukhtar Ahmed, 2 Ahmed Shehzad, 3 Mohammad Hafeez, 4 Umar Akmal(wk), 5 Shoaib Malik, 6 Mohammad Rizwan, 7 Shahid Afridi(c), 8 Anwar Ali, 9 Yasir Shah, 10 Mohammad Irfan, 11 Sohail Tanvir

Sri Lanka:

1 Kusal Perera(wk), 2 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 3 Chamara Kapugedara/Chaturanga de Silva, 4 Kithuruwan Vithanage, 5 Angelo Mathews(c), 6 Milinda Siriwardana, 7 Dasun Sanaka/Thisara Perera, 8 Nuwan Kulasekara, 9 Jeffrey Vandersay, 10 Lasith Malinga, 11 Binura Fernando