Younis leads Pakistan’s record chase for long-awaited victory in Sri Lanka

As Younus Khan (171*) and Shan Masood (125) nonchalantly battled their way to an unexpected 242 run partnership during Pakistan’s record chase, two thoughts kept floating into my head, “nothing compares to the compelling nature of good test match cricket”, and “no team is as predictably unpredictable as Pakistan”.

Sri Lanka, playing their first one-day series since the retirement of Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara from the shorter format after the World Cup, are also rebuilding for the future. After being relatively quiet throughout the series, he played a…

Sri Lanka will now look to the next generation of players to carry them forward, and Mathews is confident they will relish the opportunity to show what they can do. “We are ready”.

Captain Misbah-ul Haq made 59 not out, smashing the winning six off Jehan Mubarak to end his nation’s long winless streak in Sri Lanka, where they lost the last three series, in 2009, 2012 and previous year.

Pakistan – ranked ninth in the ODI rankings on 87 points – will move ahead of West Indies in eighth with a 3-2 ODI series victory or better.

Pakistan have summoned Mohammad Irfan for this vital series after the lanky fast bowler recovered from a hip injury he picked during World Cup.

Younis, 37, has been earning praise from the cricket fraternity after his unbeaten 171-run knock in the fourth innings of the third and final Test against Sri Lanka, which helped his side to register a historic win by chasing down a target of 377 at Pallekele. He will spearhead the pace department in the absence of Wahab Riaz, who suffered a hairline fracture on his hand during the second Test in Colombo.

The squad also includes two new batsmen in Mukhtar Ahmed, 22, and Bilal Asif, 29, while Umar Akmal, the wicketkeeper-batsman, and Junaid Khan, the paceman, were not selected.

The giant left-arm paceman has a strike-rate of 35.9 in one-day action and gives the bowling attack a cutting edge, even if the series is being played under the new one-day rules, (as detailed by ESPN Cricinfo), meaning no close catchers are required in the opening 10 overs.

Pakistan: Azhar Ali (capt), Mukhtar Ahmed, Ahmed Shezad, Mohammad Hafeez, Asad Shafiq, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Rizwan, Babar Azam, Sarfraz Ahmed, Yasir Shah, Bilal Asif, Immad Wasim, Anwar Ali, Mohammad Irfan, Ehsan Adil, Rahat Ali.

Sri Lanka (squad): Angelo Mathews (captain), Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kusal Perera, Upul Tharanga, Lahiru Thirimanne, Dinesh Chandimal, Milinda Siriwardana, Ashan Priyanjan, Nuwan Pradeep, Thisara Perera, Suranga Lakmal, Lasith Malinga, Sachithra Senanayake, Seekuge Prasanna and Sachith Pathirana.