The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced the 16-member squad for the upcoming home ODI series against Sri Lanka.
From the final 15-member Pakistan squad in ICC Cricket World Cup 2019, Mohammad Hafeez, retired-ODI cricketer Shoaib Malik, Shaheen Afridi and Hasan Ali have missed out the latest ODI squad. The senior player Mohammad Hafeez is unavailable for the upcoming home ODI series due to the ongoing CPL 2019 commitment.
Young left-arm pacer Shaheen Afridi, who also missed out the recent pre-season training camp due to dengue, will also miss the ODI series. Another pacer Hasan Ali is battling with some back spasms. However, Hasan was in the 20-member squad for the recent pre-season training camp.
Apart from the other World Cup members, Abid Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan and Usman Shinwari have earned the national team call-up for the upcoming ODI series.
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In the meantime, from the 20-member pre-season training camp squad, Ahmed Shehzad, Umar Akmal and Faheem Ashraf have missed out the ODI squad along with Hasan Ali.
Pakistan-Sri Lanka will play first-ever ODI match in Pakistan since January 2009
Sri Lanka national cricket team is ready to travel Pakistan for the limited-overs international series. The tour will start with the three-match ODI series. National Stadium (Karachi) will host all these three ODIs on 27th September, 29th September and 2nd October respectively. After the ODI series, Pakistan and Sri Lanka will play the three-match T20I series from 5th to 9th October 2019. They will play all those T20Is at Gaddafi Stadium (Lahore).
Later, in December 2019, Pakistan and Sri Lanka will play the two-match Test series in the UAE. It will be the part of 2019-21 ICC World Test Championship.
The upcoming ODI series will be the first-ever ODI series in Pakistan since 2015. After the 2009 Lahore terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan team bus, Pakistan didn’t organise a single international game before 2015. Since 2015, the country has organised nine T20Is and three ODIs.
Meanwhile, after the 2009 Lahore terrorist attack, the Sri Lanka national cricket team has played only T20I in Pakistan in 2017. Sri Lanka played last ODI in Pakistan on 24th January 2009.
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Full Pakistan ODI squad: Sarfaraz Ahmed (captain), Babar Azam (vice-captain), Abid Ali, Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Sohail, Mohammad Hasnain, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan Shinwari, Wahab Riaz
The full schedule of upcoming ODI series between Pakistan and Sri Lanka
27th September 2019: First ODI – National Stadium (Karachi)
29th September 2019: Second ODI – National Stadium (Karachi)
2nd October 2019: Third ODI – National Stadium (Karachi)