Challenging series for both Pakistan and Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka's three-Test series against Pakistan which starts in Galle on June 17 will be an important hurdle for both the home team as well as the visitors. Finding suitable replacements to fill the vacancies created after the retirements of veterans Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara will the biggest challenge for Sri Lanka.

Mahela and Sanga have done an incomparable service to the national team over the years with their rock-solid middle order batting. It will hard to find equal replacements immediately and their absence would be badly felt.

But the Lankan squad is enriched with some promising young talent which is capable of rising to the occasion. However, they need time to settle down and gain experience. Until such time, the selectors will have to be patient and give reasonable opportunities to the young blood.

What puzzles all in the cricketing circles is the recalling of batsman Jehan Mubarak, who has failed to justify the chances he had got in the national team. The left-handed top order batsman who turns 35 next January, has failed to do justice to the opportunities he had got in 10 Tests from 2002 to 2007, averaging a mere 15.87 even without a single half century.

It is hard to understand the logic behind the inclusion of Mubarak, who made his last Test appearance way back in December 2007, in the Sri Lanka squad. Even when Sri Lanka team scored a mammoth 548 for 9 against England in that Test on a batsmen's paradise such as SSC grounds, Mubarak's contribution had been only nine runs.

I would personally like to see fellow old Royalist Mubarak in the Sri Lanka team but in the broader national interests, the selectors seems to have made a blunder in recalling an aging player who had almost retired from Tests eight years ago!

Undoubtedly, the new national selection panel would have got carried away by the controversial recommendation of former South African star Jonty Rhodes whom Sri Lanka has hired to fine tune the team's fielding.

Mubarak has scored heavily in the last two domestic seasons but that alone should not be the criteria for his selection. The selectors should have thought twice when recalling a player who is over 34 years old and had played his last Test some eight years ago with an unimpressive international record.

Mubarak caught the eye of Jonty who had lavishly praised the Lankan's fielding. How could Jonty make such a strong recommendation after only a ten-day stint? At a time all other Test playing nations go for young talent in the established game, Sri Lanka has shocked everyone by reposing faith on an aging player who had not done anything at international level. Domestic record of a cricketer could not be the sole credential when selecting for international level as the opposition he had faced in local competition could be far apart.

In contrast, the recall of Kithuruwan Vithanage, another old Royalist, could be justified. He is only 24 years old and has shown great promise for Sri Lanka 'A' in the recent home series against Pakistan 'A'. The selectors have been fair in their decision to overlook Upul Tharanga (30) and Prasanna Jayawardene (35) though they had failed to apply the same yardstick on Mubarak.

Although Mubarak has been included in the 16-member Sri Lanka Test squad, Kapila Wijegoonawardene and his men in the selection committee must have another closer analysis before they name the first X1 for the first Test against Pakistan which starts at Galle International Stadium on Wednesday.

Three younger players who have caught the selectors' eyes are off spinner Tharindu Kaushal, uncapped fast bowler Dushmantha Chameera and left-handed batsman Kusal Perera. Paceman Shaminda Eranga has not been considered due to a back injury while Suranga Lakmal's inclusion would also depend on how soon recovers from a groin complaint.

Chameera and Kaushal, both in their early twenties, had made their international debuts in last December/ January tour to New Zealand. The duo also featured in the World Cup quarter final against South Africa.

But the man to watch will be promising batsmen Kusal Perera who has scored heavily during the recently concluded home series between Sri Lanka 'A' and Pakistan 'A'. He has been highly consistent during the series, both in the unofficial Tests and ODIs.

Kusal made four centuries and narrowly missed two other tons (87 and 90) within the space of seven innings in the unofficial Tests and ODIs against Pakistan 'A'. If he continues his superb from with the willow, it will be a big advantage for Sri Lanka which will miss the absence of Mahela and Sanga.

The five-match One Day International series against Sri Lanka will be a do-or-die battle for Pakistan, currently ranked No. 9 in the world. They must win the series to advance to the No.8 position in the world ODI rankings and keep their chances alive of a place in 2017 ICC Champions trophy tournament, which would accommodate only the top eight teams in the world.

This will be the last chance for Pakistan to improve on their ICC world rankings before the September 30 ICC deadline to qualify for the Champions trophy. Pakistan, after their quarter final exit in the 2015 ICC World up, were beaten 0-3 by minnows Bangladesh but managed to beat Zimbabwe 2-0 at home. Compared to their Test squad, Pakistan has relatively inexperienced players in their ODI squad and the young players need time to settle down. They would undoubtedly look for the series against Sri Lanka to gain their lost prestige.

Pakistan coach Waqar Younis has said that they would make every effort to win the ODI series, at least by a margin of three matches to two. However, Pakistan is handicapped after losing Saeed Ajmal, who has been their match-winner for many years. Ajmal was dropped from all formats of game after he was ineffective with his ICC remodeled bowling action.

The retirements of Misbah-ul-Haq and Shahid Afridi from ODIs after the World Cup, and the unexpected loss of Ajmal have given less option for Pakistan. They are further handicapped, having lost the services of first-choice bowlers Mohammad Irfan and Rahat Ali due to fitness problems.

However, Rahat is expected to recover from his hamstring injury before the second Test which to be played at Saravanamuttu Stadium from June 25. These problems have forced Pakistan to depend heavily on Junaid Khan, who has just recovered from an injury, and Wahab Riaz in the Galle Test.

Waqar has admitted that it is a big jolt to lose Ajmal. But they have been trying new players to fill that void. After a humiliation in the tour of Bangladesh and then a moderate series against Zimbabwe, Pakistan is making every effort to put their house in order. They are trying to fill the gap with youngsters who might not able to perform instantly, but Waqar is confident that it would be an investment for the future.

Similarly, Sri Lanka too must carefully groom its young blood to make a tangible investment for the future. The selectors should not expect the talented youngsters to perform miracles and dump them after a couple of opportunities. They should be given a fare volume of exposure when they enter the big league.