The starting eleven for Pakistan’s first Test match against Sri Lanka, which starts tomorrow at the Galle International Cricket Stadium, was made public on Friday.
Salman Ali Agha, an all-around player, will debut on Saturday. Salman was included in the 18-player roster for this series after a standout performance in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy first-class competition over the previous three years.
The right-hander has scored 1,629 runs at a great average of 56.19 in 18 games since the start of the 2019–20 season. Five century and eight half-centuries have been broken by the 28-year-old. 25 wickets were taken by his off-spin.
Yasir Shah, a leg spinner, and Mohammad Nawaz, an all-rounder, will be back in the lineup for the opening Test. Yasir, who helped Pakistan win the 2015 Test series 2-1 with his player of the series effort, will take the field in his first Test since August 2021 after making a full recovery from a thumb injury.
Read more: Yasir Shah replaces Sajid Khan as PCB names squad for Sri Lanka Tests
Mohammad Nawaz, who turned 28 in November 2016, will make his comeback after nearly six years.
Pakistan’s XI for first Test against Sri Lanka:
Babar Azam (c)
Mohammad Rizwan (vc, wk)
Abdullah Shafique
Azhar Ali
Hasan Ali
Imam-ul-Haq
Mohammad Nawaz
Naseem Shah
Salman Ali Agha
Shaheen Afridi
Yasir Shah
The 2021–2023 ICC World Test Championship Cycle will regulate the Test series.
The first Test will start at the Galle International Cricket Venue, and the second game will be played at the Colombo stadium from July 24 through 28.
Sri Lanka had unveiled their 18-man squad for the forthcoming two-match Test series the day before.
Squads
Sri Lanka: Dimuth Karunaratne (captain), Pathum Nissanka, Oshada Fernando, Angelo Mathews, Kusal Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva, Kamindu Mendis, Niroshan Dickwella (Wk), Dinesh Chandimal (Wk), Ramesh Mendis, Maheesh Theekshana, Kasun Rajitha, Vishwa Fernando, Asitha Fernando, Dilshan Madushanka, Prabath Jayasuriya, Dunith Wellalage, Jeffrey Vandersay
Pakistan: Babar Azam (captain), Mohammad Rizwan (vice-captain, wicketkeeper), Abdullah Shafique, Azhar Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Fawad Alam, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Nauman Ali, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicketkeeper), Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Afridi, Shan Masood and Yasir Shah.
