After the joys and success of the T20 series with the World XI back home in Pakistan, the Asian outfit are back in red ball action later this week when they play host to Sri Lanka in a two match Test series which is being held in the UAE.
Sri Lanka are fast becoming a fading force in this format of the game but they are presented with a couple of opportunities to show that they can still compete in it and in conditions which should be familiar too.
Schedule
1st Test: Sept 28 – Oct 2 at Abu Dhabi
2nd Test: Oct 6-10 at Dubai (day-night)
Pakistan
A new era for Pakistan begins in these two matches. They enter a Test series without Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq for the first time since their retirements and it will be interesting to see how they cope with their absences. Sarfraz Ahmed will be the skipper from now on and he has the chance to stamp his authority on the side.
Pakistan cricket is in a good place at the minute after the success of that series back home and a win in this series would do the spirits of both the team and the nation now harm whatsoever. They generally play well out in the desert and if their batting stands up they will fancy their chances of victory.
Sri Lanka
I would imagine confidence will be close to an all-time low for Sri Lanka. They come into this series off the back of a battering by India last month and really need to establish themselves again to get the doubters off their backs and also to show those back home that they can be proud of their team again.
If Sri Lanka are to get anything from this series then their bowling attack will need to stand up. They can rely on Rangana Herath but he can’t carry the burden alone. He needs help from the rest of the attack. You would imagine in these conditions that Sri Lanka have the batting to deliver the goods if they can find some confidence.
Head to Head
This will be the 19th time these two Asian nations have played out a Test series against each other. Pakistan have won eight of those previous series while Sri Lanka have come out on top on five occasions. There have been six draws too. In series which Pakistan have hosted they lead four two with three draws.
It is close on the overall match front between the two sides too. In the 51 Tests they have played against each other Pakistan have come out on top 19 times while Sri Lanka have won 14. There have been 18 draws so there is not much to choose between them historically.
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Betting
As with the other series getting underway this week I am not going to go too mad here. I would be surprised if Pakistan don’t win both matches but the draw is always in play in this part of the world so I will stick with a series top batsman punt.
With Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq retiring there is an opening for someone but I believe their absences will only confirm just how far clear of his teammates Azhar Ali is now. I’m quite surprised we can get 11/4 on him to top score for Pakistan in this series. He averages 63.27 in Abu Dhabi with five 50s and two centuries from just 14 knocks and averages 71.61 in Dubai with three tons including a triple century and four more 50s in 15 innings. He’s very much the one to beat in the home batting stats.
Tips
Back A.Ali Top Pakistan Series Batsman for a 3/10 stake at 3.75 with William Hill
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