As Test cricket returns to Pakistan, Sri Lanka win toss, opt to bat first against Pakistan

As Test cricket returns to Pakistan after over a decade, Sri Lanka won the toss and opted to bat against Pakistan in the first Test at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.

For the hosts, Abid Ali and Usman Shinwari are making their Test debuts today.

The second Test of the series will be played at National Stadium in Karachi from December 19-23.

Ahead of the start of the series, Pakistan's skipper Azhar Ali on Tuesday thanked Sri Lanka for returning to Pakistan for the first Test tour in the country in a decade, after a fatal militant attack on their team in 2009 drove international cricket away.

"It's a historic occasion and all the players are excited to be part of this," Azhar, who has played 75 Tests — but, until now, none at home — said at a press conference in Rawalpindi with his counterpart, Dimuth Karunaratne.

Line-ups:

Pakistan: Shan Masood, Abid Ali, Azhar Ali (capt.), Babar Azam, Haris Sohail, Asad Shafiq, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Usman Khan Shinwari, Mohammad Abbas, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Afridi

Sri Lanka: Dimuth Karunaratne (capt), Oshada Fernando, Kusal Mendis, Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews, Dhananjaya de Silva, Niroshan Dickwella (wk), Dilruwan Perera, Vishwa Fernando, Kasun Rajitha, Lahiru Kumara

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