Daijiworld Media Network

Sharjah, Jan 16 : The third and final cricket test match between Pakistan and Sri Lanka is underway at the Sharjah satdium.

Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews won the toss and elected to bat in the third and decisive Test against Pakistan at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Thursday.

Sri Lanka awarded a first test cap to 31-year-old offspinner Dilruwan Perera in the only change from the team which won the second test by nine wickets to take a 1-0 lead. Perera replaced paceman Nuwan Pradeep.

Pakistan made three changes after struggling to penetrate Sri Lanka’s strong batting lineup with a seam-based attack.

Left-arm spinner Abdul Rehman replaced injured Bilawal Bhatti while fast bowler Mohammad Talha gets his second test after nearly five years, replacing Rahat Ali.

Talha played his only previous test against Sri Lanka in 2009 at Lahore during which gunmen attacked on visitors’ team bus and killed six police officials and a van driver.

Pakistan also dropped Mohammad Hafeez, who scored only one half century in four innings, and brought in Azhar Ali for his first match of the series.

Match Preview

So it is down to the final Test match. After an almost tame draw in the opening game, Sri Lanka crushed Pakistan by nine wickets in Dubai, to take an unbeatable 1-0 lead in the three-match series. Not many would have expect

ed the Lankans to go into the last Test with a lead, the UAE having been Pakistan's bastion for the last few years, but thanks to Angelo Mathews, the islanders have been top notch so far in 2014.
Pakistan: After finishing 2013 on a rather high note, defeating South Africa in the Abu Dhabi Test and then winning an ODI series against them at home, Pakistan have got off to a poor start this year. They were brilliant in Abu Dhabi two weeks back, dominating most of the Test match against Sri Lanka but some inept batting let them down in Dubai.

Pakistan's batting has revolved mostly around Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan this series, with the two senior-most players leading the way. The captain, in particular, has been outstanding and he was unlucky to miss out on a second century. Misbah's dismissal for 97 on the penultimate day in Dubai meant defeat was only a matter of time. The others will need to come up with big scores to counter a confident Sri Lankan attack if they want to draw level in Sharjah.
Key Players: No surprises there. Misbah and Younis Khan will be the most prized wickets for Sri Lanka. The two can bat long and score big. Also, Saeed Ajmal might just come into play in Sharjah, where the wicket could suit Misbah's needs more after his criticism of the Dubai pitch.
Sri Lanka: They could not have asked for a better start to 2014. The Lankans did not play too many Test matches last year and their star batsman had not played the longest version for over a year. Come New Year and Mahela Jayawardene, under fire for a string of poor scores, answered his critics in remarkable fashion, slamming 129 to script victory for his team.

Despite injuries to a few key players, the visitors have been strong, particularly with the younger batsmen shining bright. Mathews has of course led from the front and that has possibly been Sri Lanka's biggest gain this series - to see their captain bat the best he has ever in Test cricket.
Key Players: Mathews and Mahela along with Sangakkara will continue to make the difference. They are the big names and they will be expected to score as Sri Lanka set about, chasing a series victory. But also, do not forget what Nuwan Pradeep and Rangana Herath can do with the ball. The two will be once again, Pakistan's biggest strength against a brittle Pakistani attack.
Quotes

I don't feel that if the performance is not good in the last two matches I should be disappointed. I am doing the hard work and will bounce back. The ball isn't spinning and they are playing cautiously. If I had got some spin, the result would have been different. - Saeed Ajmal, Pakistan off-spinner

Our seamers bowled better than their seamers, so we got more wickets than them, having confusion it's always good for us, it worked but I think we have to start well once again and can't be complacent against Pakistan - Angelo Mathews, Sri Lanka captain
Teams:
Pakistan (From): Khurram Manzoor, Ahmed Shehzad, Mohammad Hafeez, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq(c), Asad Shafiq, Sarfraz Ahmed(w), Bilawal Bhatti, Saeed Ajmal, Rahat Ali, Junaid Khan, Abdur Rehman, Umar Gul, Shan Masood, Mohammad Talha, Azhar Ali
Sri Lanka (From): Dimuth Karunaratne, Kaushal Silva, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews(c), Prasanna Jayawardene(w), Rangana Herath, Shaminda Eranga, Suranga Lakmal, Nuwan Pradeep, Nuwan Kulasekara, Sachithra Senanayake, Vishwa Fernando, Lahiru Thirimanne, Dilruwan Pere