Daijiworld Media Network

Pallekele, Jul 8 : Hello and welcome to the coverage of the final Test between Sri Lanka and Pakistan. The hosts lead the series thanks to their win in the first Test but Pakistan showed their potential in the second, but could only manage a draw thanks to the flat pitch and rain. Can they bounce back and make it 1-1? For that to happen though, rain should stay away from Pallekele. There have been some showers for the last few days, but it's not raining at the moment and the covers are off. Let's hope we start on time..

Pitch report: It is about 28 degrees in the middle so it's very comfortable. There has been some rain in the last 3 days. There is a bit of grass on the pitch and it is firm as well. It was no surprise that Mahela won the toss and bowled first.

Sri Lanka have won the toss and elected to field

Misbah: I would have bowled first as well. Rehman and Cheema are not playing, Gul and Sami come in. We've been playing a lot of ODI games here and we know the conditions well. We've made the changes accordingly. The bowlers will get some swing and seam movement, so it should help the pacers.

Mahela: Hope to get something off the pitch early. It has been raining so there should be some help. We need to go with a mindset to win the Test match, that's why we're bowling first. We'll grind it out and play some tough cricket. Dilshan's kids are not well, he misses out. Chandimal will open the batting. We've left out Pradeep and Randiv.

Teams:

Pakistan (Playing XI): Taufeeq Umar, Mohammad Hafeez, Azhar Ali, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq(c), Asad Shafiq, Adnan Akmal(w), Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal, Mohammad Sami, Junaid Khan

Sri Lanka (Playing XI): Dinesh Chandimal, Tharanga Paranavitana, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene(c), Thilan Samaraweera, Angelo Mathews, Prasanna Jayawardene(w), Thisara Perera, Nuwan Kulasekara, Dilhara Fernando, Rangana Herath

Match Review :

Sri Lanka

The hosts, who lead the three-match series 1-0, only need a draw at the Pallakele Stadium to triumph.They last won a series against New Zealand three years ago since when they have lost five and drawn three. Sri Lanka are likely to replace Nuwan Kulasekara and Nuwan Pradeep with Dilhara Fernando and Thisara Perera. 'This is a perfect opportunity for us to win the test series,' said Sri Lanka all-rounder Angelo Mathews. The second test was pretty boring because the wicket was pretty flat and it was interrupted by the rain, so we couldn't go for a win.'

He expects Pakistan to come back strongly after putting up a good performance in Colombo.

'Pakistan has always been a tremendous force in world cricket so we always expect a good challenge and it's not going to change in tomorrow's game,' said Mathews.

Sri Lanka's batting is not without concerns. Only Dilshan and Kumar Sangakkara have been amongst the runs, while Mahela Jayawardene has had a quiet series so far. Parnavitana and Samaraweera have been absolute flops, but given their track record, they will be given another chance in the third Test.

The spinners Rangana Herath and Suraj Randiv have repaid the faith that selectors have shown in them. Both have been responsible for the improved bowling performance after the loss to England.

Pakistan

The visitors' unbeaten run in tests under Misbah-ul-Haq's captaincy will end if they fail to win the final test.Since Misbah took over, Pakistan have won five of the last seven series and drawn two. 'We were aiming to square the series in the last test but we were unfortunate because of the rain,' said Pakistan vice-captain Mohammad Hafeez.

'As far as the effort is concerned, everybody contributed; the batsmen taking the responsibility and the bowlers pitching in the right areas. It is very important that we play the last test very well and the momentum we will definitely carry on in this game as well. We all know this game is very important, because this is the last chance for us to square the series. We will give 100 percent to do it.'

Hafeez will be relieved to have shrugged off rumors of him getting dropped with a majestic hundred in the second Test. Azhar Ali, Misbah and Taufeeq Umar have all been solid with the bat. As far as the bowlers are concerned, Abdur Rehman has outperformed Saeed Ajmal, even if the wickets column might paint a different picture. The only concern remains their terrible fielding. If that aspect of their game can be improved, that will increase their chances of winning the Test.