HAMBANTOTA: Pakistan’s red-ball squad, led by Babar Azam, reached here on Monday to play a two-day tour match against Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) Board XI.
The two-day tour match, which will serve as an opportunity for Pakistan to get used to the Sri Lankan conditions, will take place on July 11 and 12 at the Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium.
Following the conclusion of the tour match, Pakistan will take on Sri Lanka in a two-match Test series, their first assignment in the newly-started World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 cycle.
The first Test of the series will take place from July 16 to 20 at Galle International Cricket Stadium while the second Test will be held from July 24 to 28 in Colombo.
The national contingent, which flew off from Karachi on Saturday night, reached Colombo on Sunday via Dubai.
Former South Africa pacer and current Pakistan men’s team’s bowling coach Morne Morkel had also joined the squad in Dubai.
Notably, the former speedster was unable to join the team’s training camp in Karachi due to visa issues.
Itinerary of Pakistan’s tour of Sri Lanka:
11 and 12 July – Warm-up game
16-20 July – First Test at Galle International Cricket Stadium
24-28 July – Second Test at Singhalese Sports Club, Colombo
Pakistan squad: Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan, Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Afridi and Shan Masood.
Player support personnel
Rehan-ul-Haq (team manager), Grant Bradburn (head coach), Andrew Puttick (batting coach), Morne Morkel (bowling coach), Aftab Khan (fielding coach), Abdul Rehman (assistant coach), Drikus Saaiman (strength and conditioning coach), Cliffe Deacon (physiotherapist), Ahsan Iftikhar Nagi (media and digital content manager), Lt Col Usman Anwari (Retd) (security manager), Talha Ejaz (analyst) and Malang Ali (masseur).