Sri Lanka won toss, decided to bat first against Pakistan

RAWALPINDI: Sri Lanka won the toss and opted to bat against Pakistan in the first Test at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.

The match is scheduled at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium as Test cricket has returned to Pakistan after a decade.

READ MORE: Azhar Ali geared to win home Test series against Sri Lanka

The second Test of the series will be played at National Stadium in Karachi from December 19-23.

Ahead of the start of the series, Pakistan’s skipper Azhar Ali on Tuesday thanked Sri Lanka for returning to Pakistan for the first Test tour in the country in a decade, after a fatal militant attack on their team in 2009 drove international cricket away.

READ ALSO: Rain may disrupt first Pakistan-Sri Lanka Test

“It’s a historic occasion and all the players are excited to be part of this,” Azhar, who has played 75 Tests — but, until now, none at home, said at a press conference in Rawalpindi with his counterpart, Dimuth Karunaratne.

READ MORE: Sri Lankan team arrives in Pakistan to play two Test series

Line-ups:

Pakistan: Shan Masood, Abid Ali, Azhar Ali (capt.), Babar Azam, Haris Sohail, Asad Shafiq, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Usman Khan Shinwari, Mohammad Abbas, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Afridi

Sri Lanka: Dimuth Karunaratne (capt), Oshada Fernando, Kusal Mendis, Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews, Dhananjaya de Silva, Niroshan Dickwella (wk), Dilruwan Perera, Vishwa Fernando, Kasun Rajitha, Lahiru Kumara