Pakistan v Sri Lanka 2017, Test series - 5 Player Battles

As Pakistan walk in the field for the first Test match against Sri Lanka, it would mark their first game after the retirement of stalwarts Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan. It’s going to be the beginning of new era for Pakistan with 6 uncapped players named in their Test squad. Sarfaraz Ahmed is all set to take the captaincy honours in the longest format after a successful reign in limited overs cricket. The return of Yasir Shah is surely going to boost the Pakistan team.

Talking about Sri Lanka, they have been going through their worst phase. After the drubbing they received at the hands of India at home, there’s no doubt that they’ll be low on confidence. The only positive for them is if they try to run on Pakistan’s inexperience. While the absence of Angelo Mathews may further dent their chances, they have individuals who have performed well time and again. All they would look forward to is playing together and contributing to the team’s cause.

As one team begins a new era while the other is struggling to make it count, there are lots of player battles to look forward to, before they take on each other. Here we present 5 player battles to watch out for in the upcoming series:-

1) Dimuth Karunaratne vs Mohammed Amir

A gritty opening batsman who has emerged as a vital cog in the Sri Lankan machinery. Dimuth Karunaratne played a sensational knock of 141 runs against India at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground. Even though his team lost by an innings, his knock gave glimpses of his flourishing talent. He would be looking to gain momentum for Sri Lanka that paves the pathway for the rest of the batting order.

Mohammad Amir has been in tremendous form. He took 13 wickets at a splendid bowling average of 17.46 in the Windies series in May. His sensational form continued for Essex in the English County Season. All set to spearhead the pace attack, Amir would be looking to leave no stone unturned in replicating the same against Sri Lanka as well. He will look forward to getting rid of the Sri Lankan opener early.

2) Dinesh Chandimal vs Yasir Shah

Sri Lankan skipper Dinesh Chandimal is amongst the few in the squad who have previously played in the UAE. While Chandimal has been going through a poor patch, that doesn’t take away the fact, that his ability to adapt his gameplay according to different situations has helped Sri Lanka stage a turnaround in numerous occasions. He would be looking forward to regaining his lost touch in an all-important series against Pakistan.

As for the prolific leg-spinner, Yasir Shah he has been recalled for the series after managing to pass the fitness test. While he had a horrendous tour of Australia, he came back strongly in the Windies series ending up as the man of the series with 25 wickets across three Tests. With conditions expected to assist spin, Yasir would be a trump card for Pakistan to topple the middle order which makes the battle an exciting one to watch for.

3) Sarfraz Ahmed vs Lakshan Sandakan

Sarfraz Ahmed is all set to don the captaincy role in the longer format as well. He’s been a saving grace for Pakistan at the lower order. Having constructed proper knocks batting with the tail, Sarfraz has time and again proved his reliability batting at No.7. He would look forward to contributing again and make sure Pakistan have a good total on board.

Talking about the rare breed in cricket, a chinaman bowler in the form of Lakshan Sandakan. The 26-year-old’s ability to turn the ball either way would be really handy considering the pitches in the UAE. He also took a 5-wicket haul in the lone Test he got to play against India and would be willing to display his potential at a bigger stage. More and more batsmen these days fail to read the wrist spinners and will be interesting to see how he fares in the series.

4) Azhar Ali vs Nuwan Pradeep

Probably the best batsman in the current  Pakistani batting lineup, Azhar Ali has consistently produced some brilliant and match-winning performances in the whites. He was exceptional in Australia and later in West Indies as well. Azhar would be itching to rack up another mammoth tally feasting on the Sri Lankan bowling attack.

Nuwan Pradeep who recently overcame a hamstring injury is back into the Sri Lankan mix. Expected to be the spearhead of the attack, Nuwan would be looking to make up for his absence in the home series against India. His ability to swing the new ball and reverse swing the old one would be an endearing quality at the UAE. He would look forward to containing Azhar early before he tries to settle down.

5) Babar Azam vs Rangana Herath

The young and talented Babar Azam who had a significant start to his international career has failed to replicate the same when it comes to the test format. He fared poorly against Australia with not a single half century throughout the series. Although he scored two half centuries against the Windies, he also got three ducks which isn’t good for a batsman of his calibre. Babar would hence be willing to show his potential in the longer format too.

While Rangana Herath might not have had a good series against India, he remains to be Sri Lanka’s best bet when it comes to spinning the ball. 11 scalps short of attaining 400 Test wickets, Herath would be raring to achieve the feat as quickly as possible. Also, with the absence of Misbah Ul Haq and Younis Khan, who have been touted as really good players of spin, Herath would look forward to exploiting the Pakistani batting, especially the likes of Babar Azam. This promises to be a wonderful contest to watch between the two.