Whatmore expects tough Sri Lanka tour

Dav Whatmore, Pakistan's head coach, has said that his team will be sternly tested during their tour of Sri Lanka which begins on June 1.

The Pakistan players began a two-week conditioning camp in Lahore on Wednesday to prepare for the upcoming tour. They started with a fitness session in the morning at the National Academy and a net session at noon in Gaddafi Stadium.

With temperatures in Lahore touching 40C, Whatmore said he hoped his players would find it easy to acclimatise themselves to similar conditions in Sri Lanka. "It's pretty warm out here as well but it will be easy for us to acclimatise (to Sri Lankan conditions)," Whatmore said. "We're lucky to do a bit of work in the heat in the morning and a little bit in the afternoon.

"Some of the bowlers and batsmen have been working out in the heat to ensure we are prepared. I think we have to prepare properly for a series against a strong opposition."

Pakistan announced separate teams for each format for the upcoming tour and Whatmore said he was satisfied with the selection process.

"I am happy to see that players are being selected based on their suitability to a format. As far as leadership is concerned, it's not up to me and I will support what the PCB decides."

He also backed the inexperienced players selected for the tour. "There are one or two changes in the squad and that's a good thing as by keeping exactly the same squad we would be marching on the same spot, but we must move forward all the time."

Whatmore, who has had two stints as Sri Lanka's coach in the past, said he was expecting batting-friendly pitches in Sri Lanka. "We are not expecting anything different. The limited-overs pitches [in Sri Lanka] are good for batting."