Sri Lanka now meet Pakistan for a 5-match ODI series at Dambulla. The home side, Sri Lanka will be riding high on confidence after capturing the Test series 2-0 and that too without their premium spin bowler Muralidaran.
The ODI squad for the home side looks much stronger now with the comeback of the big guns in Sanath Jayasuriya, Lasith Malinga and Muttiah Muralitharan. Skipper Kumar Sangakkara has led the side well along with his ex Mahela Jayawardena.
Test series depended quite a lot on the seamers in Nuwan Kulasekara and Thilan Thushara who bowled superbly throughout the series. Much will depend on them once again if they are to put up the same sort of performance in the shorter version of the game as well.
The visitors, Pakistan on the other hand though losing the series quite poorly, have some sort of momentum by their side as they did showcased a fighting performance in the last Test.
They have made some serious changes in their side after they re-recruited the ICL players in fast bowler Naved-ul-Hasan and opener Imran Nazir back to the National Squad. They had earlier brought back Mohammad Yousuf and Abdul Razzaq for the Test Series.
Umar Akmal, younger brother to wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal also gets a look-in in the 16-member squad on the back of some solid performances in the domestic circuit.
Shahid Afridi who has been recently handed the leadership for the Pakistan T20 internationals gets back in the ODI scheme of things as well. There are quite a few things to look out for in this game as Jayawardena plays his 300th ODI while Kamran Akmal his 100th.
Akmal also needs 82 to complete 2000 ODI runs in his career. Razzaq needs 4 to capture 250 ODI wickets while Naved-ul-Hasan needs 5 to capture 100 ODI wickets.
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