Sri Lanka Look for Revival Against Pakistan

Abu Dhabi: Sri Lanka hope to end their Test drought when they face Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates starting from Tuesday..

Sri Lanka have not won a Test in their last 11 outings, since beating India in Galle in July 2010 when world bowling record holder Muttiah Muralitharan made his final appearance.

This year, Sri Lanka lost an away series against England 1-0, before falling to Australia by a similar margin at home.

Dilshan said he looked forward to turning the tide when they clash with Pakistan in a three-Test series which opens at the neutral venue of Abu Dhabi on October 18.

Dilshan said the team needs time to overcome the absence of the retired duo of Muralitharan and Chaminda Vaas.

Injured fast bowler Nuwan Pradeep returns to the bowling attack, which also includes off-spinner Suraj Randiv and left-arm spinner Rangana Herath.

Dilshan predicted a close contest against Pakistan. The Tests will be followed by five one-day internationals and a Twenty20 match.

Pakistan's most experienced bowler, Umar Gul will have to bend his back. He'll know that the performance of the bowlers could well make the difference in this series and his extra pace, nip and accuracy will be a key weapon in Pakistan's arsenal. He'll need the support from his fellow bowlers though; the weather in the UAE can be quite unforgiving, so it'll be as much a battle of stamina as of skill. He played for Sussex and pulled in a few good performances in the Twenty20 competition, and also had a first-class game for Habib Bank prior to this series.

Shoaib Malik's been picked in the Test squad but will Pakistan go ahead with Asad Shafiq in the absence of Umar Akmal, who's been dropped for this series. It'll also be interesting to see if Pakistan go in with three seamers. Aizaz Cheema had an impressive Test debut in Zimbabwe, and leaving him out will be a tough call.

Pakistan has been forced to host international matches in neutral countries after a terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore in March 2009.

Teams from

Pakistan: Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), Abdur Rehman, Adnan Akmal (wk), Aizaz Cheema, Asad Shafiq, Azhar Ali, Imran Farhat, Junaid Khan, Mohammad Hafeez, Saeed Ajmal, Shoaib Malik, Taufeeq Umar, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Younis Khan

Sri Lanka: Tillakaratne Dilshan (capt), Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Nuwan Pradeep, Rangana Herath, Mahela Jayawardene, Prasanna Jayawardene (wk), Suraj Randiv, Kosala Kulasekara, Suranga Lakmal, Tharanga Paranavitana, Dhammika Prasad, Kumar Sangakkara, Kaushal Silva, Lahiru Thirimanne, Chanaka Welegedara

Pitch and conditions
The previous Test - and the only one played at the venue - was a high-scoring one involving Pakistan and South Africa. Misbah, Shafiq and Azhar Ali were all among the runs and the track played flat for the bulk of the game. Both teams wouldn't mind a spicier pitch than the one used the previous time to give their bowlers an opportunity to strike in the trying heat of the desert.

Stats & trivia

• Herath and Randiv have accounted for 48 of the 130 wickets Sri Lanka have taken in Tests following the retirement of Murali. Ajantha Mendis, who's not part of the current squad, has picked up 18. The seamers have picked up 52.
• The two teams have played each other on 37 occasions, with Pakistan winning 15 times and Sri Lanka nine. Over the last six years, they've played each other on seven occasions with two wins for Pakistan and one for Sri Lanka.

Match facts
October 18-22, 2011
Start time 1000 local (0600 GMT)