At the Galle International Stadium in Galle, Sri Lanka and Pakistan will square off in a two-match Test series that will start on July 16. In order to kick off the most recent World Test Championship cycle well, Sri Lanka, which is hosting the Test series, will be hoping for a successful result.
The last time Pakistan played a Test match was in December 2022 against New Zealand, where they drew the series after two intense contests. Pakistan has had a significant break from Test cricket. Nevertheless, the team has been playing well in shorter formats, so it will be intriguing to see how they perform in longer formats.
On the other side, Sri Lanka’s most recent Test match was against Ireland in April for a two-match Test series. They put up outstanding performances to win both games and the series, and it is easy to say that they utterly overpowered Ireland throughout the two encounters.
Their matchup with Pakistan won’t be simple, though; the visitors’ team features some amazing players, which might mean that the series’ spectators are in for some thrilling games.
Pitch and surroundings
The Galle International Stadium’s playing surface can be beneficial to both batsmen and spinners. It’s possible that the batters will control the game’s opening half, with the spinners becoming more important as the game progresses. If the team wanted to win the game, they would need to make a big score in the first innings.
Playing XI for Sri Lanka’s match against Pakistan
Sri Lanka, led by Dimuth Karunaratne, will attempt to put on a strong showing in the opening Test and establish their dominance early. With a potent combination of batsmen and bowlers, it could be intriguing to see what lineup the team chooses.
Dimuth Karunaratne is expected to captain the team, along with Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Dhananjaya de Silva, Sadeera Samarawickrama (wk), Ramesh Mendis, Prabath Jayasuriya, Praveen Jayawickrama, Dilshan Madushanka, and Vishwa Fernando.
Pakistan
Pakistan will rely heavily on its star power to help the team prevail in unfamiliar surroundings. The team might get off to a strong start with the bat thanks to Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan.
Shan Masood, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Saud Shakeel, and Shaheen Afridi make up the probable starting XI.
SL and PAK Pakistan played 21 head-to-head matches, Sri Lanka played 17, and there were 19 draws.
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