Pakistan are likely to make three changes, after their innings defeat in the second and last match against Australia at the Adelaide Oval in Adelaide, for the first Test against Sri Lanka at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi. Opener Abid Ali is expected to debut as the management looks to tweak its lineup to tackle the Islanders at home in the longer format.
Middle-order batsman Fawad Alam and young pace sensation Naseem Shah are also look likely to be a part of the team for the first Test. Abid would replace opener Imamul Haq whereas Alam and Naseem would replace batsman Iftikhar Ahmed and fast-bowler Musa Khan respectively, if the management opts for the changes.
According to sources, the change is being made because the team management has felt the need to combine a new opening pair for the series. Abid looks set to be awarded for a string of good performances in the domestic circuit. He has played 105 First-class matches and has made 7007 runs.
Opener Shan Masood paired with skipper Azhar Ali in the first Test against Australia at the Gabba in Brisbane. The pair scored 75 in the first innings and scored a meagre 13 runs in the second. The team management decided to opt for a regular opener in the second and last Test against Australia and brought in Imam. This experiment however failed as well, after the struggling opener could only manage two runs in the first innings and no runs in the second.
