Busy schedule for Lankans leading upto the World Cup
With the Lankan cricket hierarchy filling up the aborted SLPL window with two productive series against South Africa and Pakistan, the national cricketers now have a busy itinerary leading up to the World Cup 2015.
Another significant fact is that the much neglected Moratuwa Stadium, which was a hub of international cricket at one point of time, would get a new lease of life when South Africa play a warm-up one-day game against a top Lankan combination on July 3 and Pakistan play their warm-up game on August 14. The last international match played at this venue was in 2002 when Sri Lanka A took on Bangladesh.
Sri Lanka's Sachithra Senanayake (C) plays football with his teammates before the start of the second Ireland v Sri Lanka one-day international cricket match at Clontarf Cricket Club in Dublin, Ireland, on May 8, 2014. AFP
The Pakistan team is scheduled to arrive in the island on July 28 for a near-month-long series. They will depart on August 25.
Pakistan open their tour with two Test matches to be played at the Galle Stadium and the P. Sara Oval. The first Test will begin on August 1 and the second on August 8.
The first One-day international between the two countries will take place at Hambantota on July 17 followed by ODIs at Pallekelle on August 21 and the R. Premadasa Stadium on August 24.
The game in Hambantota would be a day match while the other two in Pallekelle and Colombo will be day-night matches.
The specialty in the England tour that follows the Pakistan tour is that five of the seven ODIs will be covered by an alternate day (in the following day) in case of rain. Considering the Lankan thicker weather conditions in November and the importance of continuity just prior to the World Cup, both boards have agreed upon this arrangement.
England will open their tour on November 21 with a warm-up game at the SSC followed by another warm-up either at the P. Sara Oval or at the Moratuwa Stadium on November 23.
The first ODI against England will be played on November 26/27 at the R. Premadasa Stadium. This will be a day/night game. The second ODI will be played at the same venue as a day game on 29/30.
The third ODI will be played as a day game in Hambantota without an alternate day. The action will move to Dambulla on 6/7 December with a Day Night match. Likewise the first ODI in Pallekelle will be played on 10/11 December with a day game on 13/14 at the same venue.
The final day/night game will be played at the R. Premadasa Stadium on December 16 and the English Cricketers will leave the country the next day.
The Lankan cricketers will travel to New Zealand on December 18.In this tour the dates are in place, but the venues are not, according to SLC sources.
There would be a three day game from 20-22 opening the Lankan tour of New Zealand, followed by the first Test beginning on boxing day – till December 30. The second Test will be played from 3-7 January 2015.
The One-day internationals are scheduled to take place on January 11, 14, 17, 20, 23, 25 and 28.
The Lankan cricketers will have an exposure of nearly a month during the tour of New Zealand. However after the tour ends on January 28 the Lankans are likely to stay either in New Zealand or Australia till the action begins in the World cup proper on February 14, according to Sri Lanka Cricket authorities.