LAHORE, Jan 9: Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has approved the itinerary of their split tour to Pakistan, starting from Jan 18, having three One-day Internationals and two Test matches in the fold.

Firstly, the SLC approved three-match ODI series on Thursday and later the two-Test series on Friday, excluding one Twenty20 match from the original schedule of the matches sent to them by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

The ODI, which had earlier been allotted to Faisalabad, has also been shifted to Multan, due to some logistics problems faced by the PCB.

In the first leg, the Sri Lankans will reach Karachi on Jan 18 to play the limited-overs series. The first ODI will be staged in Karachi on Jan 21, second in Lahore on Jan 24 while the third game will be held in Multan on Jan 27.

To start the second leg of the tour, the Asia Cup winners will arrive in Karachi on Feb 14 to play two Tests and a three-day warm-up. The practice match will be held from Feb 17 to 19, the venue remains to be decided.

The National Stadium, Karachi will host the first Test from Feb 22 to 26 while the second Test will be held at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore from March 2 to 6.

Agencies add: Sri Lanka’s cricket selectors on Friday recalled in-form Tillekeratne Dilshan for an upcoming three-match one-day series in Pakistan.

The middle-order batsman, who played his last one-dayer at home against India in August 2008, has so far scored 2,994 runs in 152 matches with one hundred and 14 half-centuries.

However, he was not named immediately in the squad for a triangular one-day series starting in Bangladesh Saturday. Zimbabwe are the third side.

Fast bowler Dammika Prasad, part of the Test team in Bangladesh, was not included in the 15-man squad for Pakistan to be led by middle-order batsman Mahela Jayawardene.

Veteran opener Sanath Jayasuriya retained his place in the one-day squad which had two young players in former under-19 captain Angelo Matthews and Thilina Kandamby.

Sri Lanka agreed to tour Pakistan after India cancelled the January-February series due to simmering political tensions between the two countries over the Mumbai attacks.

Sri Lanka will then return to Pakistan in mid-February for two Tests, in Karachi and Lahore.

Sri Lanka one-day squad: Mahela Jayawardene (captain), Kumar Sangakkara (vice-captain), Sanath Jayasuriya, Upul Tharanga, Chamara Kapugedera, Jehan Mubarak, Tillekeratne Dilshan, Thilina Kandamby, Muttiah Muralitharan, Ajantha Mendis, Farveez Maharoof, Dilhara Fernando, Nuwan Kulasekera, Thilina Thushara, Angelo Matthews.

Itinerary:

First leg:

Jan 21: First ODI, Karachi.

Jan 24: Second ODI, Lahore.

Jan 27: Third ODI, Multan.

Second leg:

Feb 17-19: Three-day practice match, Karachi.

Feb 22-26: First Test, Karachi.

March 2-6: Second Test, Lahore.