Top 5 Pakistan players to watch out for on the Sri Lanka tour
Pakistan will play Sri Lanka in three Tests, five ODIs and two Twenty20 internationals. They will begin with a three-day tour game in Colombo from June 11, before the first Test in Galle from June 17. As in every Pakistan team of the past, the current crop has plenty of players to watch out for.
Ehsan Adil
Pakistan has a history of producing young fast bowlers and Adil is no different. The 22-year-old made his name when he took the wicket of Graeme Smith with the third ball of his Test career.
He hasn’t played many games but provided good support to the likes of Wahab Riaz in the recently concluded World Cup. It is certain that the boy from Sheikhupura will play under the shadows of Wahab Riaz and Junaid Khan and will get lot of competition from Mohammed Imran Khan when Pakistan plays Sri Lanka, but it will be extremely hard to ignore this young lad.
He may have played only two Test matches and taken only four wickets, but it won't be surprising if Adil emerges as the surprise weapon for Pakistan. It is only left to be seen how he is used by his captains.
Mohammed Imran Khan
The right arm fast bowler from Peshawar has played four Test matches and taken 9 wickets. He came into recognition after he took three wickets against Australia dismissing the likes of Michael Clarke, Chris Rogers and Mitchell Marsh. Though he didn’t get to do much in the recently concluded Test series against Bangladesh, his inclusion in the squad for the tour to Sri Lanka bodes well for the 27-year-old.
He made his way into the Test team after he performed consistently in the domestic circuit. Unless Pakistan goes with a 4-man pace bowling attack, Imran will have to fight for a place with Ehsan Adil.
Will he create the sort of magic with the ball just like his legendary namesake, the World Cup winning captain Imran Khan?
Shan Masood
The 25-year-old impressed in his debut game when he scored a gutsy 75 runs against a formidable South African bowling and provided good cover to the Pakistan team who were without Mohammed Hafeez. He got selected on the basis of his consistent showing in the domestic circuit. However, after that innings, Masood couldn't do much of account and got only three more games to play against the Proteas and later New Zealand.
The Stamford University pass out though staked his claim to be the third opener in the squad for the tour to Sri Lanka and be a backup for Mohammed Hafeez and Azhar Ali after his recent score of 182 against Sri Lanka A.
Though chances seem less for the Kuwait-born opener to feature in the opener against the Lankans, it will be difficult to ignore the lad given that his recent performance for the A team has been quite impressive. One could expect him to take the field for his country in the later part of the series.