Another blow has been dealt to the future of Test cricket in the women's game, with the decision to scrap the one-off Test between Sri Lanka and Pakistan which was scheduled to begin this Sunday.
At the request of the Pakistan Women's Cricket Control Association (PWCCA), the four-day Test, which was to have commenced at the Colts Ground, Colombo, on January 20, has been converted to three limited-over matches, to be played on Sunday 20, Tuesday 22 and Wednesday 23 January.
This makes the one-day series a six game event, including the matches at Kandy on January 26 and at Colombo on January 28 and 30.
Pakistan are aiming to compete in the 2005 World Cup by doing well in the qualifying tournament to be held in 2003. Their tour of Sri Lanka, arranged at short notice following the withdrawal of the West Indies, will be part of their preparation for next year's qualifying series.
The Pakistan team is scheduled to arrive in Colombo on Thursday January 17. The squad is: Shaiza Khan (capt), Sharmeen Khan (vc), Uzma Gondal (wk), Kiran Baloch, Mahwish Khan, Nazia Nazeer, Khursheed Jabeen, Sajida Shah, Batool Fatima, Rabia Khan, Huda Zaid and Sabeen Rizvi. The manager is former Karachi and National Bank all-rounder Shakeel Sajjad.
Sri Lanka's squad for the series is: Suthershini Sivanantham (capt), Chamani Seneveiratne (vc), Vasanthi Ratnayake, Rose Fernando, Janakanthi Mala, Hiroshi Abeysinghe, Hiruka Fernando, Thanuja Ekanayake (wk), Ramani Perera, Sandamali Dolewatte, Randhika Galhenage, Gayathri Kariyawasam, Lalani Priyadharshani, Indika Kankanage. Nihal Kodituwakku is the coach.
The Sri Lankans were scheduled to warm up against an under-17 schoolboys' team from Joseph Vaz College, Wennappuwa at Wesley College on Tuesday January 15.