Expected schedule for Pakistan-Sri Lanka Test series revealed

The upcoming two-match Test series between Pakistan and Sri Lanka could be held between July 16 and 28, according to sources.

The matches, which are part of the ICC World Test Championship, are likely to take place in Colombo and Galle.

Sri Lanka Cricket will announce the official schedule for the series in the next few days. 

The hosts are keen on finishing the series before the Lanka Premier League, which is scheduled to take place from July 31 to August 22. 

Expected schedule

First Test – July 16-20

Second Test – July 24-28

Earlier, it was reported that Pakistan’s ace speedster Shaheen Afridi is likely to miss the upcoming Test series against Sri Lanka.

According to sources, the lanky pacer could be rested, due to workload management ahead of the World Cup this year, during next month’s assignment.

Shaheen is currently playing in England's T20 Blast for Nottinghamshire, where has claimed 13 wickets in nine matches.

The lanky pacer said the benefit of the experience of playing league cricket is that he can share the knowledge gained with other players too when he will return home.

"We play with and against such players who perform at the international level too. So it becomes easier to plan the way I should be bowling to them later on," Shaheen told Geo News last month.

"So it’s good for the personal experience but also will be helpful to enhance my performance which will indeed be very beneficial later on for the World Cup preparations and to build a good momentum before that," he added. 

It must be noted that 13 spinners and 11 fast bowlers are taking part in a specialised men’s camps at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore. 14 batters will also be involved in the two camps that will run from June 10-15 (for spinners) and June 16-21 (for fast bowlers).

The camps will allow selectors to form the squad for Pakistan’s Test series in Sri Lanka, which will be national side’s first assignment in the third cycle of the World Test Championship.

The following is the list of invited players:

Spinners – Abrar Ahmed, Ali Asfand, Arafat Minhas, Faisal Akram, Mohammad Junaid, Mehran Mumtaz, Mubasir Khan, Noman Ali, Qasim Akram, Sajid Khan, Sufiyan Muqeem, Usama Mir and Zahid Mehmood

Fast bowlers - Aamir Jamal, Arshad Iqbal, Faheem Ashraf, Haris Rauf, Ihsanullah, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Naseem Shah and Shahnawaz Dahani

Batters – Abdullah Shafique, Haris Sohail, Haseebullah, Hussain Talat, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imam-ul-Haq, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Huraira, Omair Bin Yousuf, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel and Tayyab Tahir