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Mahela Jayawardene out of 'hit and run' matches, but
expected for Test series....:
Sri Lanka off to Dubai to play Pakistan
By Ranjan Anandappa
CRICKET: After a lapse of ten months, Sri Lanka will be engaged on a
full scale cricket tour as they left for the United Arab Emirates to
meet Pakistan in a three-Tests, five ODI and two T20 match series in the
early hours of Saturday.
The tour will no doubt remind that Sri Lanka has gone without Mahela
Jayawardene, and at some time or other Kumar Sangakkara and Tillekeratne
Dilshan already retired from Test cricket.
Sangakkara and Mahela are Sri Lanka's finest batsmen and Dilshan
rated among the finest stroke-makers and has no superior as an all-round
fieldsman. Jayawardene has made himself unavailable for the tour as his
wife Christina has given birth to a baby girl on December 3 and
naturally wants to spend more time with his family.
Sangakkara and Dilshan will have to bear the brunt of the batting
against the Pakistan attack.
Sri Lanka's declining power was revealed by unstable and indecisive
batting and severely limited bowling resources in the pace and spin
against the recently concluded ODI and T20 series against New Zealand.
On the other hand, Pakistan has reached great heights from an
inconsistent position to a supremely confident level by defeating South
Africa first in the UAE and thereafter in South Africa inflicting the
Proteas to their first ever ODI series defeat by an Asia country in
South African soil.
This is the second occasion where the Lankans will take on the
Pakistanis in the UAE as the desert land was chosen as Pakistan's home
ground to stage their matches. A terrorist attack on the Sri Lanka
national cricket team in 2009 in Lahore forced the Pakistanis to stage
their home matches elsewhere as the other cricket playing nations feared
to tour Pakistan due to terrorists attacks.
For Pakistan , the UAE has been a happy hunting ground as they have
not lost a single Test match and having the surroundings to their
liking. They beat Sri Lanka in the Three-Test series (1-0) when they met
last in 2011-2012 and also took the ODI series 4-1 and the T20.
Since Sri Lanka gaining full Test status in 1981, forty three Test
matches have been played between Sri Lanka and Pakistan and Pakistan has
won 16 Test matches to Sri Lanka's 10 and 17 Tests have been drawn. Test
matches have been played on eight occasions in Pakistan and seven times
in Sri Lanka.
The first-ever official Test match series played between the two
countries was in 1981/1982 in Lahore Pakistan where Sri Lanka lost the
series 0-2. Thereafter in an era where Pakistan seemed to be invincible
on their own soil, Sri Lanka recorded their first win in Pakistan in
September 1995 at the Iqbal Stadium ,Faisalabad beating the home team by
42 runs in the second Test after losing the first Test by an innings at
Peshawar.
The Lankans also won the third Test at Sialkot by 144 runs and won
the three-Test match series 2-1. Sri Lanka also won the ODI series which
created a new chapter in Sri Lanka cricket under Arjuna Ranatunga and
his band of cricketers. The following year in 1996, Sri Lanka won the
World Cup in Pakistan under the guidance of Ranatunga.
The Sri Lankan born Davenell Whatmore, who is the present Pakistan
coach, was in charge of the victorious Sri Lankan outfit on both
occasions.
Pakistan will no doubt be a tough opposition considering their recent
form shown in the UAE against South Africa, and the Sri Lankans with a
host of youngsters, should take this opportunity to establish themselves
and try to cement their places in the side with the coming tours of
England next May and 2015 World Cup to be held in Australia and New
Zealand in mind.
Pakistan has been faring impressively in UAE and specially in South
Africa recently where they became the first Asian cricket playing nation
to win a limited over series in South Africa by winning all three ODI's.
The architects of the Pakistan wins were Ahmed Shehzad, Sohaib Maqsood,
Shahid Afridi, and the two spinners Saeed Ajmal and Junaid Khan.
The experienced Mahela Jayawardene has opted out from the tour to be
with his wife Christina and the new born baby.
However, Mahela should be available for the Test series which begins
on December 31 in Dubai. The absence of Jayawardene, the rest of the
youngsters should rally around the two skippers Angelo Mathews (Test and
ODI's) and Dinesh Chandimal (Captain T20) to pose a threat to the
Pakistanis in all forms of the game.
Among the talented youngsters who are on tour, are Ashan Priyanjana,
Kithuruwan Vithanage (Played in two Tests matches against Bangladesh),
Seekuge Prasanna, Kusal Janith Perera, and Ramith Rambukwella. These
players who still have to consolidate their places in whichever format
they represent the country should bring out their best to pressurise
some of the seniors.
Sri Lanka ODI Squad: Tillekeratne Dilshan, Kusal Perera, Dimuth
Karunaratne, Kumar Sangakkara, Angelo Mathews, (Captain), Dinesh
Chandimal, Lahiru Thirimanne, Ashan Priyanjana, Kithuruwan Vithanage,
Thisara Perera, Nuwan Kulasekera, Lasith Malinga, Suranga Lakmal,
Sachitra Senanayake, Rangana Herath, Seekuge Prasanna.
Sri Lanka T20 Squad. Dinesh Chandimal (Captain), Lasith Malinga,
Tillekeratne Dilshan, Kusal Janith Perera, Kumar Sangakkara, Angelo
Mathews, Lahiru Thirimanne, Kithuruwan Vithanage, Thisara Perera, Nuwan
Kulasekera, Seekuge Prasanna, Suranga Lakmal, Sachitra Senanayake,
Ajantha Mendis, Ramith Rambukwella.
Match schedule.
Dec.11 . First T20 in Dubai
Dec.13. Second T20 in Dubai
Dec.18 First ODI in Sharjah
Dec 20 Second ODI in Dubai
Dec 22 Third ODI in Sharjah
Dec 25 Fourth ODI in Abu Dhabi
Dec 27 Fifth ODI in Abu Dhabi
Dec 31 to Jan 4 First Test in Dubai
Jan 8 to 12 Second Test
in Abu Dhabi
Jan 16 to 20 Third Test in Sharjah.
Jan 16 20 Third Test in Sharjah.
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