***Official** Sri Lanka v Pakistan in Abu Dhabi

[JASON]

http://content-nz.cricinfo.com/pakistan/content/current/story/293165.html

Abu dhabi Series - may not start - currently delayed by 1 week. As a Sri Lankan, I personally would've settled for a Cricket free quiet period.

But Obviously Pakistan fans will be desperate to put the happenings of the World Cup behind.

I doubt if Murali will make it to Abu dhabi + any others who may also have County contracts.

Any thoughts...

 

[JASON]

I would hope the selectors pick Warnapura and Kapugedera for this series and Lokuaaratchchi and Nuwan Zoysa as bowlers in place of some others from the World cup squad who may want a break.

I hope Atapattu does get to play a few games if indeed the series does go ahead.

 

[JASON]

As far as Predictions go...if Shoaib and Asif are part of the Team, I would say 2-1 to Pakistan.

 

[social]

http://content-nz.cricinfo.com/pakistan/content/current/story/293165.html

Abu dhabi Series - may not start - currently delayed by 1 week. As a Sri Lankan, I personally would've settled for a Cricket free quiet period.

But Obviously Pakistan fans will be desperate to put the happenings of the World Cup behind.

I doubt if Murali will make it to Abu dhabi + any others who may also have County contracts.

Any thoughts...

I spend approx half my time in Abu Dhabi and it is a really nice place with lots of enthusiastic cricket followers from all corners of the globe.

However, it is absolutely stinking hot there at present (my brother informed me that it was 42 on Tuesday with sand storms) and they really should look at scheduling tournies like these between, say, November and March.

 

[JBH001]

I really could not care less about this insignificant tournament.

 

[JASON]

I spend approx half my time in Abu Dhabi and it is a really nice place with lots of enthusiastic cricket followers from all corners of the globe.

However, it is absolutely stinking hot there at present (my brother informed me that it was 42 on Tuesday with sand storms) and they really should look at scheduling tournies like these between, say, November and March.

Maybe perhaps players should be a given a personal Air conditioner/Cooler attached to their belt as part of the playing equipment.

 

[JASON]

I really could not care less about this insignificant tournament.

Agree another meaningless..ODI series...

I don't know whether its the direness of the last World Cup's effect (with a generally well accepted opinion of it being the Most Dullest World Cup in history) or not....but I have really lost all interest in ODIs now...

 

[TT Boy]

Mohammad Asif is back for Pakistan and is vice captain for the series.

Team in full
Shoaib Malik (capt), Salman Butt, Imran Nazir, Mohammad Hafeez, Yasir Hameed, Mohammad Yousuf, Shahid Afridi, Fawad Alam, Kamran Akmal (wk), Abdul Razzaq, Mohammad Asif (vice capt), Mohammad Sami, Umar Gul, Rao Iftikhar ‘Anjum’, Najaf Shah.

Sri Lanka, have not announced their side but Vaas, Murali and Kumar will not feature due to county commitments.

 

[haroon510]

Mohammad Asif is back for Pakistan and is vice captain for the series.

Team in full
Shoaib Malik (capt), Salman Butt, Imran Nazir, Mohammad Hafeez, Yasir Hameed, Mohammad Yousuf, Shahid Afridi, Fawad Alam, Kamran Akmal (wk), Abdul Razzaq, Mohammad Asif (vice capt), Mohammad Sami, Umar Gul, Rao Iftikhar ‘Anjum’, Najaf Shah.

Sri Lanka, have not announced their side but Vaas, Murali and Kumar will not feature due to county commitments.

i thought they have learned a listen from WC and they are going to dumb some useless players like, hafeez, kamran akhmal, sami and anjum but i don't see that happening.
afridi should have been the vice captain. with responsibility in his shoulders his performance might improve.

 

[Beleg]

This is the perfect series to blood some youngsters. Instead, we are continuing with the same contingent of players who are mediocre at best and utterly crap usually.

Pakistan team for this series should have been:

Shoaib (Malik)
Asif
Yousuf
Razzaq
Gul

and ten other youngsters.

 

[JASON]

I hope SL play their Under 19 keeper (whose name escapes me) in the absence of Sangakkara and also play Lokuaaratchchi and Bandara for this series. Loku as the youngest spinner in National squad should be given greater opportunity IMHO.

SL may have to pick Zoysa for this series, in the absence of Vaas. Kulasekera doesn't really make the mark in ODIs IMO.

 

[JASON]

Moody returns from London just before this series starts and whether he will remain with SL (if he returns to County Cricket or WA ) will become clearer.

 

[Perm]

Great to see Salman Butt back playing for Pakistan, I really hope he gets some runs.

 

[FRAZ]

As far as Predictions go...if Shoaib and Asif are part of the Team, I would say 2-1 to Pakistan.

Nope 2-1 to Srilanka !

 

[SJS]

This has to be one of the least impressive looking Pakistan side one has ever seen and I have seen them since 1961.

Sri Lankan side is on a roll. If Pakistan beat them as some are predicting, it will be a big upset.

 

[JASON]

This has to be one of the least impressive looking Pakistan side one has ever seen and I have seen them since 1961.

Sri Lankan side is on a roll. If Pakistan beat them as some are predicting, it will be a big upset.

Pakistan without Shoaib and Younis Khan are still very strong.

SL without Murali , Vaas and Sangakkara are pretty depleted . I will put my neck on the line and say Pakistan 2-1 .

 

[Perm]

Pakistan without Shoaib and Younis Khan are still very strong.

Younis Khan doesn't add much.

 

[chaminda_00]

This would be my SL squad for this series considering the players we have out/retired.

M Jayawardene (c), L Malinga (vc), S Jayasuriya, U Tharanga, M Warnapura, M Atapattu, C Silva, C Kapugedera, T Dilshan, K Silva (wk), K Lokuarachchi, M Bandara, D Fernando, F Maharoof, A Ganegama

Ganegama had a ok series against Bangladesh A and deserves another run, Kulasekara is waste of space. Warnapura and Kapugedera deserve a run in the national side. Silva hopefully will get the gloves ahead of Prasanna Jayawardene, his a waste of space. The kids scored runs at domestic level and A level, which is more then Prasanna could ever do. I would be tempted to rest Jayasuriya and bring in an extra seamer in Amerasinghe, but four quicks is really enough.

Also Malinga should get the vice captaincy, his starting to show some leadership skills with his bowling and should be getting growned as a future leader, maybe not future captain, but atleast part of the leadership group with Jayawardene, Sangakkara, Murali and Vaas.

 

[SJS]

Pakistan without Shoaib and Younis Khan are still very strong.

SL without Murali , Vaas and Sangakkara are pretty depleted . I will put my neck on the line and say Pakistan 2-1 .

You definitely are superstitious about praising your own side.......

............ before the series is over



PS But you are right. I did not realise the Sri Lankan resting of three top players.

It evens things out.

 

[JASON]

This would be my SL squad for this series considering the players we have out/retired.

M Jayawardene (c), L Malinga (vc), S Jayasuriya, U Tharanga, M Warnapura, M Atapattu, C Silva, C Kapugedera, T Dilshan, K Silva (wk), K Lokuarachchi, M Bandara, D Fernando, F Maharoof, A Ganegama

Ganegama had a ok series against Bangladesh A and deserves another run, Kulasekara is waste of space. Warnapura and Kapugedera deserve a run in the national side. Silva hopefully will get the gloves ahead of Prasanna Jayawardene, his a waste of space. The kids scored runs at domestic level and A level, which is more then Prasanna could ever do. I would be tempted to rest Jayasuriya and bring in an extra seamer in Amerasinghe, but four quicks is really enough.

Also Malinga should get the vice captaincy, his starting to show some leadership skills with his bowling and should be getting growned as a future leader, maybe not future captain, but atleast part of the leadership group with Jayawardene, Sangakkara, Murali and Vaas.

I think promoting Malinga as Vice Captain might be recipe for Team disunity...remember Sehwag and India...

In terms of seniority Dilshan and Maharoof are the next senior players. But I would not worry about the Vice Captaincy at this point in time.

Malinga is 21 -he needs to first become Captain of his Club side and gain some experience.

With regard to Jayasuriya, I agree he should be rested, but since he has only a certain amount of Cricket left in him, he may be keen to play and wanting to not deplete the team too much and get the sponsor's wrath , I would keep him.