~*~Pakistan begin warm-up~*~

**pakeeza** · 16-05-2012, 10:49 AM

Pakistan begin warm-up for Sri Lanka tour today
KARACHI: Pakistani cricketers will spend the next ten days in Lahore attending strenuous training sessions, listening to lectures and playing warm-up matches ahead of the tour of Sri Lanka starting at the end of this month.

Former Pakistan captain Younis Khan was the only absentee as all Sri Lanka-bound players assembled in Lahore to take part in a training camp before the tour that will begin from May 28. Pakistan will play two Twenty20 Internationals, five One-day Internationals and three Tests during the tour.

Team manager Naveed Akram Cheema told â€˜The Newsâ€™ on Tuesday that Younis will join his teammates in a day or two as he is attending to his ailing mother.

Cheema said that Pakistanâ€™s team management wants to give the players all possible opportunities to warm up for the tour as they wonâ€™t get any practice ahead of the series against Sri Lanka.

â€œThis time we have focused on having a series of practice matches before our departure as there are no warm-up matches in Sri Lanka,â€ said Cheema.

Pakistan will leave for Sri Lanka on May 28 and will get down to work right away as they will be taking on the hosts in the opening Twenty20 International in Hambantota on June 1.

Before leaving for Sri Lanka, the Pakistani players will attend a series of training and nets sessions at the National Cricket Academy from May 16-19 before playing two 50-over day-night practice matches on May 20 and 22. After a rest day, they will play back-to-back Twenty20 matches on May 24 and 25. During a couple of rest days, PCB officials will deliver lectures to the players, warning them of the dangers of associating with strangers.

Pakistan have selected different teams for the three formats with allrounder Mohammad Hafeez installed as Twenty20 captain and Misbah-ul-Haq in-charge of Test and one-day teams.