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1st Test match predictions: Sri Lanka vs Pakistan
Pakistan will face Sri Lanka in the 1st game of the 2-match Test series on 16th July (Saturday) at the Galle International Stadium, Galle.
Pakistan and Sri Lanka will be looking to get some crucial World Test Championship points as both these two sides are placed at 4th and 3rd position respectively.
In their previous match, Sri Lanka registered a superb win over Australia in the 2nd Test to draw the series at 1-1.
The Lankan Tigers lost the 1st Test but they bounced back brilliantly in the next game to beat the mighty Australians by an innings and 39 runs.
Dinesh Chandimal scored a magnificent double hundred to help his side post a huge total on the board.
The debutant Prabath Jayasuriya was the star with the bowl for Sri Lanka as he picked up 12 wickets in the match including 6-fors in both innings.
Meanwhile, Pakistan last played a Test series in March 2022 where they were defeated by the Australian side 1-0 in the 3-match series.
Pakistan lost a big chance to gather some important WTC points in their home series by making flat pitches.
However, Pakistan has a very strong side and they have an upper hand going into this series.
Head To Head In Tests
Here is the head-to-head record between Pakistan and Sri Lanka in One-day internationals.
Matches Played: 55
Pakistan Won:20
Sri Lanka Won: 16
Tie/no result: 19
Match Details
Date – Saturday, July 16, 2022
Time – 10:00 AM IST
Venue – Galle International Stadium, Galle
Pitch Report:
The pitch at the Galle Stadium assists both the bowlers and batters.
Batting will be a bit easier in the beginning but as the match progresses the spinners will play a big role here.
The batters will have to be on their toes while batting on this pitch.
Weather Report:
The temperature on the 1st day of the Test is expected to hover between 25 and 29 degrees Celsius.
Sad news for the cricket fans as the rain has been predicted for the whole next 5 days of this Test match.
Probable Playing XI:
Pakistan
Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Azhar Ali, Babar Azam ©, Fawad Alam, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Yasir Shah, Nauman Ali, Shaheen Afridi
Sri Lanka
Pathum Nissanka, Dimuth Karunaratne ©, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Kamindu Mendis/Oshada Fernando, Niroshan Dickwella (wk), Ramesh Mendis, Maheesh Theekshana, Prabath Jayasuriya, Kasun Rajitha.
Probable star bowler of the match
Yasir Shah
Yasir Shah is making a comeback after a long time to the Pakistan side in this Test match.
He is the most successful and experienced bowler in this Pakistan lineup.
The 36-year-old has picked up 236 wickets in just 46 games in his career and he is expected to play a big role on the spin-friendly track of Galle.
Probable star batter of the match
Babar Azam
Babar Azam is one of the best batters in World Cricket right now.
The Pakistani skipper scored 390 runs in the 5 innings against Australia and was the 3rd highest run-getter of that series.
He is also likely to play a big knock in the 1st Test against Sri Lanka.
Who will win?
Sri Lanka will be confident after their spectacular victory over the Aussies in the 2nd Test and will love to beat Pakistan and gain increase their points on the WTC table.
But, Pakistan will be a more difficult opponent as compared to Australia as they play spin well.
Pakistan’s lineup has a great mixture of young and experienced players like Abdullah Shafique, Azhar Ali, and Babar Azam.
The team combination of Pakistan is also looking better as compared to Sri Lanka.
Hence, if rain doesn’t interfere, we predict that Pakistan will win the 1st Test against Sri Lanka.