Sri Lanka captain opens up about plans to tackle Babar Azam

Ahead of the two-match Test series between Sri Lanka and Pakistan, Sri Lanka's captain Dimuth Karunaratne, shed light on their plans to counter Pakistan's skipper Babar Azam.

Acknowledging Babar's reputation as one of the best batsmen in the world across all formats, the Sri Lankan skipper expressed confidence in the team's strategy while hoping it would bear fruit on the field.

Karunaratne emphasized that the team has been devising strategies to combat Babar. While keeping the specifics under wraps, the captain hinted at their intention to put him under pressure during both of the Tests.

"Everyone knows he [Babar] is a great batsman, and he was in the top-five rankings in all the formats. The thing is the way he batted [on last tour]; he knew how to head up the conditions and the wickets. So we knew what we have to do against him. We have a few plans, and hopefully, we can restrict him in the first Test and in the second Test as well. We have some plans for him, hopefully, it works," Karunaratne said.

As the series starts tomorrow, the Sri Lankan team will be eager to translate their plans into actions on the field. All eyes will be on their execution as they strive to tame Babar, a challenge that many teams around the world have grappled with.

Pakistan will kick off their action-packed 2023-24 international cricket season with the first Test of the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25 against Sri Lanka in Galle on Sunday. The second and last Test of the series will be played in Colombo from 24 July.