Squad: Dimuth Karunaratne (c), Dinesh Chandimal, Dhananjaya de Silva, Niroshan Dickwella, Lasith Embuldeniya, Oshada Fernando, Vishwa Fernando, Lahiru Kumara, Suranga Lakmal, Angelo Mathews, Kusal Mendis, Dilruwan Perera, Kusal Perera, Kasun Rajitha, Lakshan Sandakan and Lahiru Thirimanne
The PCB finally convinced their Sri Lankan counterparts to play Tests in Pakistan, despite initially planning to hold the series at a neutral venue. Pakistan has adopted the UAE as their home ground since 2009. The last Test played in Pakistan was ten years ago in Lahore, during which terrorists attacked the Sri Lankan team bus, critically injuring cricketers, umpires, and other staff members.
As for the Sri Lanka squad, the absence of leg-spinner Akila Dananjaya was a forced change from their previous Test series, with the ICC suspending him from bowling in international cricket owing to an illegal action. Fast bowler Kasun Rajitha has taken his place in the squad.
Sri Lanka will depart for Pakistan on December 8, with the first Test scheduled to begin at Rawalpindi on December 11 and the second Test at Karachi on December 19.
Pakistan vs SL 2019: Full-strength tourists to play Tests in Pakistan
In the first Test series on Pakistan soil since 2009, Sri Lanka will be travelling with a full-strength squad, including senior pros Angelo Mathews and Dinesh Chandimal. The sixteen-member strong squad is a far cry from the second-string team that played limited-overs series in the country this October, with some big names opting out due to security concerns.