Karunaratne regrets pulling out of limited-overs tour to Pakistan

Sri Lanka Test skipper Dimuth Karunaratne has admitted that he regrets pulling out of the limited-overs leg of the Pakistan tour earlier in September.

Ten prominent Sri Lankan cricketers had refused to travel to Pakistan for three One-day Internationals (ODIs) and three Twenty20 Internationals, which included Karunaratne and Sri Lanka T20I captain Lasith Malinga among others.

While speaking to media in Karachi, Karunaratne expressed his satisfaction over the security arrangements in Pakistan.

“Now I regret not coming to Pakistan, but at that time it was a really hard decision to take as I had never travelled to Pakistan before,” said Karunaratne. “There was not a good perception about Pakistan on social media and news. However, the guys who came here for the limited overs series gave really good feedback, so then we seniors decided that we should go for the Test series.”

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The Sri Lanka Test skipper said that they will decide the playing XI after taking a final look at the pitch on Thursday.

“We haven’t decided the playing XI yet. There will be one change definitely as pacer Kasun Rajitha has been ruled out of the Karachi Test,” he said. “We will have a look at the pitch tomorrow and see if they leave the grass or cut it. If they leave the grass, we will play three seamers and if they cut it, then we will play two spinners.”

“The conditions in Karachi are good. It is a bit hotter compared to Rawalpindi. All of us will be playing here for the first time, so we are also still trying to figure out how the pitch will behave,” he added.

The second Test match of two-match series between Pakistan and Sri Lanka will begin on December 19 in Karachi.