Pakistan-Sri Lanka Test series

Former captain Saleem Malik, for his alleged role in a bribery scandal, and his brother-in law Ijaz Ahmed and off-spinner Akram Raza for being his 'comrades in arms' were out of the contention for the Pakistan squad. Wasim Akram may have been in line for the captaincy but, instead, Rameez Raja was chosen to lead Pakistan. He started on a most positive note though, when he led his team to an inaugural Test at Peshawar's Arbab Niaz Stadium, Sri Lanka struck back by winning the next two Tests, and Ranatunga joined the ranks of W.G. Grace, W.J. Cronje, and Saleem Malik as being the four captains who turned a 1-0 disadvantage into a 2-1 win in a three-Test rubber. Left-arm fast bowler Chaminda Vaas, alongwith Muttiah Muralitharan, played a major role in Sri Lanka's triumph against Pakistan.

Two years later, Rameez Raja was the captain in 1996-97 series against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka. The Lankan skipper was Arjuna Ranatunga. The first Test played at R. Premadasa Stadium, Colombo, ended in a tame draw. Hashan Tillekeratne made his sixth Test hundred in the home side's first innings. Saqlain Mushtaq capturing five wickets in a Test innings for the first time. The visitors' reply was based upon Ijaz's seventh Test hundred. In Sri Lanka's second innings, Aravinda de Silva scored his 9th Test century, his 5th against Pakistan, as he reached the highest individual score for Sri Lanka against Pakistan. The second drawn Test of the series was dominated by a remarkable performance by Aravinda de Silva who became the first batsman in the history of Test cricket to score unbeaten centuries in both innings of a Test match, in the process he took his number of Test hundreds to eleven, seven coming against Pakistan. Sri Lanka were denied victory by Saleem Malik who reached his 15th Test hundred and the highest Test score for Pakistan in Sri Lanka.

In March 4-8, 1999, the third match of Asian Test Championship at Gaddafi stadium, Lahore was played between Pakistan and Sri Lanka which ended in a tame draw. The final was also played between Pakistan and Sri Lanka on March 13-17 at Bangabandhu Stadium, Dhaka. Pakistan won comfortably by an innings and 175 runs. There were some outstanding performances in the final, which lifted the standard of the proceedings. The double centuries by Ijaz Ahmed and Inzamam-ul-Haq and the hat-trick by Wasim Akram on the third evening provided lustre to the contest which was one-sided from the time Sri Lankan elected to bat but failed to capitalise.

The pitch was fair enough for both the batsmen and the bowlers. Both had to work to reach the double hundreds. There was an impressive knock by Aravinda on the first afternoon, but then he was the lone ranger. The rest did not have the calibre to put any pressure on the opposition. Pakistan played good cricket and there was no doubt that this team had the capacity to bounce back. The process had begun in Calcutta and the goal was achieved in great style in Dhaka where Pakistan won the final by an innings and 175 runs. Sri Lanka was ill-equipped to give any comfortable moments to an opposition which had been inspired by it skipper to give more than hundred per cent. Ijaz Ahmed's century was the first in a Test in Dhaka in 30 years. The last century had come from the bat of New Zealand's Mark Burgess in 1969 in the Test against Pakistan.