Sri Lanka vs Pakistan T20 Series Squads(Video's)

After a clinical drubbing of Sri Lanka in the five-match One-Day International series, Pakistan will carry forward momentum into the second half of the limited-overs leg when they kick-off the three-match Twenty20 International series in Abu Dhabi on Thursday (October 26). While the first two T20Is will be played at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium, the series is set to conclude at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.


That the final T20I is scheduled to played in Lahore has been a bone of contention for the Sri Lankan team with senior players expressing their reservations of travelling to Pakistan. Suranga Lakmal and Chamara Kapugedera were in the team bus back in 2009 when terrorists launched their attack. It was natural for them to have their apprehensions. In the end, regular T20I skipper, Upul Tharanga, Lakmal, Kapugedera, Lasith Malinga, Niroshan Dickwella, Milinda Siriwardene and Akila Dananjaya ended up pulling out of the series, given that Sri Lanka Cricket had rejected the players' proposal of having two separate T20I squads for the series - one for the UAE leg and the other that would travel to Lahore.

Pakistan, on the other hand, are boosted by the return of Mohammad Amir who was ruled out of the one-day series with a shin injury. The squad is almost identical to the side that took on the World Series XI in Lahore last month with Sohail Khan being the only absentee. Mohammad Hafeez, who played last played a T20I in the West Indies in March, has been reinstated in the 20-over setup to create an all-rounder heavy squad alongside Imad Wasim and Shoaib Malik. The bowling unit's success in the one-dayers will only bode well for the hosts who have constantly kept Sri Lanka's batsmen under control and caused them trouble to trigger a collapse of sorts. The top order is in fine touch, and an even better middle order, with Shoaib Malik specifically, in top-notch form. He not only provides runs, but those vital overs in the middle to dry up runs and apply pressure on the opposition.

With a short turnaround time between the ODIs and T20Is, Pakistan will go into the three-match series as favourites. But with new faces coming into the Sri Lankan fold, they would hope to spring a surprise and at least pick up one win in the limited-overs format in the UAE before making their way to Lahore on an even keel, if not better.

• Squads:

Pakistan: Sarfraz Ahmed (c & wk), Fakhar Zaman, Ahmed Shehzad, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Hafeez, Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Aamer Yamin, Mohammad Amir, Rumman Raees, Usman Shinwari, Umar Amin.

Sri Lanka: Thisara Perera (c), Dilshan Munaweera, Danushka Gunathilaka, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Ashan Priyanjan, Mahela Udawatte, Dasun Shanaka, Sachith Pathirana, Vikum Sanjaya, Lahiru Gamage, Seekkuge Prasanna, Vishwa Fernando, Isuru Udana, Jeffrey Vandersay and Chathuranga de Silva, Minod Bhanuka (wk).

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