Top 5 Pakistan players to watch out for on the Sri Lanka tour

Babar has been terrific for Pakistan

Zulfiqar Babar

Generally at 36 a player begins to plan about life after cricket – not Zulfiqar Babar. Babar, who became the oldest player from Pakistan to make his T20 debut, made his Test debut against South Africa but it was the matches against Australia and New Zealand where he went on a wicket-taking spree, picking up 27 wickets in 5 matches.

He also took 6 wickets for 31 runs against Sri Lanka President XI in a warm-up game. With 36 wickets from 8 matches and an enviable average of 37, Babar has impressed every cricket pundit.

Babar will certainly be the trump card for the Pakistan. With Saeed Ajmal dropped due to poor performance, Babar brings a lot of experience to the table courtesy domestic cricket where he has more than 300 wickets to his credit. The left-armer can team up with off-spinner Mohammed Hafeez and leg-spinner Yasir Shah to pose a distinct challenge for the island team on pitches which aid spinners.

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Haris Sohail of Pakistan

Haris Sohail

Haris Sohail has slowly become one of the mainstays of the weak Pakistan middle order in limited overs cricket and it is only understandable if he begins to play a similar role for his team in the longest format.

Pakistan’s biggest weakness is their batting and despite having a very talented batting line up they are often blamed for not being consistent and having a tendency to rely a bit too much on their captain Misbah-Ul-Haq. Sohail, who has an average of 52 in first class cricket and 43 in ODIs is no brickbat and will definitely look to stem his position permanently in the team by performing against Sri Lanka in their den.

Nevertheless, if Pakistan harbour any hope of beating the Lankans on their own turf, then not only will Sohail have to be a huge support for his captain but will also have to score big runs and make sure to stabilize the weak middle order.