Sri Lanka are all set to take on Pakistan in the second Test match of the three-match series at Colombo on 25 June.
The first Test match saw Sri Lanka losing out to Pakistan by a margin of 10 wickets. This definitely did not make Sri Lankan skipper Angelo Mathews happy and he would want to turn the fortunes in their favour.
This is probably going to be the last Test match for Kumar Sangakkara against Pakistan and he would want to end this rivalry on a high note. His batting average is astonishing against the visitors as well (77.75).
Meanwhile, Dhammika Prasad has taken a blow in his right thumb during the practice sessions and that leaves his place in the playing XI in doubt. Suranga Lakmal have recovered from his injury and might replace Prasad in the first XI.
On the other hand, Pakistan have only one injury news and that is of Harris Sohail. He hurt his patella tendon during a training session and he will be flying back to Pakistan. The rest of the side is free from injuries and raring to go after a great win in the first Test at Galle.
The weather forecast said that it will mostly be sunny in Colombo with very little chance of showers. And the weather is likely to remain the same throughout the five days of the Test match unlike the first Test at Galle that was hit by rain. The first day of the first Test match was washed out completely without a ball being bowled.
The pitch at P Sara Oval Colombo has a grass-topping and this would definitely delight the faster bowlers in both the side. Wahab Riaz would especially look to make most out of this pitch. The last eight Test matches at this venue have yielded results. Surprisingly, Sri Lanka have lost all of their last three Test matches that they have played in this particular ground. This might unnerve most of the Lankan batsmen who were tormented by Yasir Shah in the first Test, but this time the duty of troubling the batsmen might be taken over by Riaz and Junaid Khan as both of them bowl at a very good pace.
Both the sides might just be lured by the curator of the pitch to pick an extra seamer instead of a spinner. In that case Pakistan might leave out Zulfiqur Babar and Sri Lanka have enough pace in their lineup as skipper Mathews can also bowl at a decent pace. Meanwhile Sri Lanka needs three of their big guns - Kumar Sangakkara, Angelo Mathews and Rangana Herath to fire against Pakistan.
Expected Line-ups:
Sri Lanka: Kaushal Silva, Dimuth Karunaratne, Kumar Sangakkara, Lahiru Thirimanne, Angelo Mathews (C), Dinesh Chandimal (wk), Kusal Perera, Nuwan Pradeep, Tharindu Kaushal, Rangana Herath, Suranga Lakmal.
Pakistan: Mohammad Hafeez, Ahmed Shehzad, Azhar Ali, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq (C), Asad Shafiq, Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), Wahab Riaz, Yasir Shah, Junaid Khan, Imran Khan.
Where to Watch Live:
The first day of the second Test match between Sri Lanka and Pakistan at Colombo is scheduled for 10am local time (10am IST, 5am BST, 4am GMT) with live coverage in India and Sri Lanka on Ten Cricket and Ten HD. The live streaming option will be available on Tensports.com.
Cricket fans in Pakistan can stream the match live on GeoSuperTv.
Viewers in the US can watch the match live on Willow TV and stream the game on Willow TV Online.
