Sri Lanka vs Pakistan 1st Test Match Prediction

Preview

Sri Lanka vs Pakistan: With the country in chaos, some Cricket will come as a welcome distraction. The Australia series proved to be a nice relaxation, giving stressed Sri Lankans something to smile about. Despite all that is happening, they treated the Australians well, and with Sri Lankan winning, the public got at least a few minutes to stop and smile about something. The upcoming series is a vital one for both sides. Sri Lanka is coming off a Test win against Australia and is on the move. They beat Australia in the ODI series, drew the Test series, and are finally improving. Players are making a name for themselves, and some old names are standing up again, giving Sri Lanka some hope.

Pakistan is touring Sri Lanka for the first time since 2016. The last four Tests between the teams have been pretty interesting. Both teams are known to fight hard with each other and have had some classics in the past in what is an underrated rivalry. For Pakistan, the series is important as they come back after a disappointing series loss at home against Australia. Concerning the WTC as well, this is a very important series. Both sides are precariously placed at three and four. A few favorable wins for either side will increase their hopes of making the finals.

Match Details

Match: Sri Lanka vs Pakistan

Date: 16th July 2022

Time: 10:00 AM IST

Venue: Galle International Stadium

Weather Report

The weather at Galle is fine for all four days with very little chance of rain during Sri Lanka vs Pakistan Test.

Pitch Report

The Galle pitch was flat to start with against Australia but started to take turns as the game went on. A similar nature is expected with the ball likely to spin more as the game moves on.

Sri Lanka vs Pakistan Predicted Playing XI

Sri Lanka Playing XI

Pathum Nissanka, Dimuth Karunaratne(c), Kusal Mendis, Kamindu Mendis/Oshada Fernando, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Niroshan Dickwella(wk), Ramesh Mendis, Maheesh Theekshana, Ashita Fernando, Prabath Jayasuriya

Pakistan Playing XI

Abdullah Shafique, Imam-Ul-Haq, Azhar Ali, Babar Azam, Fawad Alam, Mohammed Rizwan (wk), Nauman Ali, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Yasir Shah

Team News

Sri Lanka is in with some changes. They dropped Embuldeniya and Jayawickrama after the pair failed to find control in the first Test.

Key Players

Babar Azam

Babar Azam is one of the best batters in the World now, if not the best. The series loss to Australia will be one that could concern him, and he now has a chance to make amends. With Sri Lanka looking better at home, a win in Sri Lanka will hold some credibility, and to win, Babar Azam needs to find runs against some good spin bowling. He has a nice technique against spin, which should help him do the job.

Prabhath Jayasuriya

Prabath Jayasuriya could not have asked for a better debut. Twelve wickets in the Test match and some incredible control that Sri Lanka has missed with Embuldeniya has helped Jayasuriya keep his spot. After Rangana Herath’s retirement, the search for another left-arm spinner has been constant, and with Jayasuriya looking promising, he may as well be the solution to an issue Sri Lanka are facing with their bowling.

Sri Lanka vs Pakistan Match Tips

Sri Lanka is looking very good at home. However, Pakistan is generally known to be better player of spin than Australia. Their spinners are also pretty good, with a lot of experience in the subcontinent, and that should give a settled Pakistan side the advantage.

Match Prediction: Pakistan will win the match.