Mohammed Amir likely to replace Usman Shinwari for the Lahore T20I

Usman Shinwari, who was impressive in the fifth ODI against Sri Lanka is set to miss the third and final T20I due to a side-strain. The 23-year-old picked the injury during the 2nd T20I match. Mohammed Amir, who has recovered from a shin injury which he picked during the Test series against the Lankans in likely to get back in the fold. Apart from the above likely replacement, Umar Amin might well get a look in, and therefore either of the openers Ahmed Shehzad or Fakar Zaman will make way for the promising talent.

Chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq had stressed on the fact that youngsters are likely to get opportunities and hence Amir Yamin might get a nid ahead of Imam Wasim. The visitors have reached Lahore and are raring to win the final T20I, as it is an eventful one. Sri Lankans are back in Lahore for the first time since the 2009 terrorist attack. About a dozen terrorists attacked the Sri Lankan team bus just outside the Gaddafi stadium, it is known as one of the black days in the history of cricket.

Nice to be in Pakistan: Perera

“It’s nice to be in Pakistan again,” said Thisara Perera, who also participated in the Independence Cup last month, as he represented the World XI. “We are thankful for a warm welcome and will do our best to entertain the crowd with some good cricket.”

“We are thankful to the Sri Lankan team for coming to Pakistan and I request the fans to support both the teams during the match,” said Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed, whose team also arrived from Dubai early Sunday.

“It’s a historic moment,” PCB chairman Najam Sethi told AFP on Friday. “With improved security, we hopefully fledged international cricket will return to Pakistan in the next two years.”