http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 – Cricket News update
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sri-Lanka-c758 captain, Mahela Jayawardene, is expecting the upcoming home series against Pakistan to be a good challenge for his men.
"If you take their performances in the last six months they have performed well in all three formats. To play them in our conditions is a good challenge," said Jayawardene who took over as the Sri Lanka cricket captain from http://www.senore.com/Cricket/TM-Dilshan-c2691 in February
earlier this year, after the latter stepped down following the team’s consistent poor performance since the World Cup 2011.
The Pakistan cricket team reached Sri Lanka on Monday, May 28, for a seven-week long tour which will see the Men in Green playing the islanders in two T20 Internationals and a five-match One Day International series, followed by three Tests.
The unpredictable Pakistan cricket team has had a successful 2011 season in which they did not lose a single series in any format of the game. They have won seven of their last nine Test matches including a 1-0 Test series win over Sri Lanka in the United
Arab Emirates, followed by an unprecedented 3-0 Test series whitewash of Test No. 1 ranked England side, at the same Gulf venues.
However, Mahela’s focus at the moment is one day cricket as international teams gear up for the World T20 Championship, to be held in Sri Lanka in September this year.
"We must move forward from the series against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/England-c56013,” said Jayawardene referring to the 1-1 drawn two-Test series against Poms in March-April. “One-day cricket is important to us and also the T20 because in another 3-4 months we have the World T20 so the
T20 matches against Pakistan and the two we will play against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750 in July are extremely important to us," he added further.
What makes Pakistan team even stronger is former Sri Lanka coach, Dav Whatmore’s presence in their dressing room. However, the Australian, who led the Islanders to their lone World Champ title in 1996, has insisted that his insider knowledge of Sri Lanka
cricket team would not be an advantage for the tourists.
Pakistan will kick-start the itinerary with a T20 at Hambantota on Friday, June 1, 2012.
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