KARACHI, May 3: Pakistan cricket squad, led by wicket-keeper Rashid Latif, leaves for Colombo on Sunday night to participate the triangular one-day tournament.
The tri-series, which also involves Sri Lanka and New Zealand, gets under way from May 10 with first round matches in the double round-robin event at Dambulla’s Rangiri International Stadium.
The second round of matches will be played at Colombo’s Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) Ground while the day-night final is scheduled to be staged at R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.
Pakistan’s 15-man squad shows four changes from the party which won last month’s Sharjah Cup quadrangular tournament.
Temperamental fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar makes an unexpected early comeback after a thoroughly disappointing World Cup campaign in southern Africa recently.
Shoaib was sidelined along with seven other senior players — including skipper Waqar Younis, Wasim Akram, Inzamam-ul-Haq and Saeed Anwar — after Pakistan failed to progress beyond the first phase of cricket’s showpiece championship.
Also making a return to international scene after a lapse of almost four years in lanky fast bowler Shabbir Ahmed. There are two new faces in the squad announced last week. Batsmen Yasir Hameed and Faisal Athar have yet to play any international.
Meanwhile, Rashid is scheduled to address a press conference at 3.00pm on Sunday at National Stadium.
Pakistan squad: Rashid Latif (captain), Taufiq Umar, Mohammad Hafeez, Yousuf Youhana, Younis Khan, Faisal Iqbal, Abdul Razzaq, Shoaib Malik, Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Sami, Danish Kaneria, Umar Gul, Shabbir Ahmed, Yasir Hameed and Faisal Athar.
Officials: Javed Miandad (coach), Haroon Rasheed (manager), Riaz Ahmed (doctor) and Tauseef Razzaq (physiotherapist).
Tri-series schedule:
May 10: Sri Lanka v Pakistan (Dambulla).
May 11: New Zealand v Pakistan (Dambulla).
May 13: Sri Lanka v New Zealand (Dambulla).
May 17: Sri Lanka v Pakistan (SSC, Colombo).
May 18: Sri Lanka v New Zealand (SSC, Colombo).
May 19: New Zealand v Pakistan (SSC, Colombo).
May 23: Final (RPS, Colombo).