SRI (Sri Lanka) vs PAK (Pakistan) Match Prediction
Test
Galle International Stadium
Sri Lanka played a home Test series against Ireland in April and won it with a 2-0 margin. Pakistan played a 2-Test series against New Zealand in December-January. Both the matches ended in a draw.
Facts
- Sri Lanka will enter the match on the back of two wins. Pakistan have failed to win any of their last five matches.
- The two teams last met in a Test match in July 2022. Sri Lanka won by 246 runs.
- Shaheen Afridi is back to Test cricket after a gap of one year. His last Test match was also against Sri Lanka.
SL vs PAK Chance of Winning
A tough battle between the two teams is on the cards. Sri Lanka are expected to topple the visitors because of a couple of reasons.
Sri Lanka have the psychological advantage of beating Pakistan at the same venue by 246 runs last year. The match is also the last red-ball game between the two sides. Pakistan have played just one Test match this year and that would also go against them.
Sri Lanka are fresh from a 2-0 series win against Ireland in April. The side is also high on confidence after winning the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 Qualifiers. The side won the series consisting of 10 teams and qualified for the World Cup 2023 in India.
With quality spinners, all-rounders and a batting group, Sri Lanka is also look a more better and settled team than Pakistan on paper.
SL chances of winning - 55%
PAK chances of winning - 45%
SL vs PAK Tournament Prediction & Betting Tips 2023
Dinesh Chandimal would again play a key role for Sri Lanka in the middle-order. The veteran of 74 Test matches has scored 924 runs in 13 matches at an average of 44 against Pakistan. He has hit one hundred and eight fifties against Pakistan in the format.
Sarfaraz Ahmed is the man in form for Pakistan and he might play as a specialist batter with vice-captain Mohammed Rizwan also in the eleven. The 36-year-old has revived his Test career and scored 118, 78, 53 and 86 in his last four Test innings. He would be key for the Pakistan middle-order.
SL vs PAK Match Toss Prediction
Ireland won the toss and elected to bat in the last Test match in Galle. They lost the match by an innings and 10 runs. In the second-last match here, Sri Lanka won the toss and opted to bat first. They won by an innings and 280 runs. Pakistan and Sri Lanka locked horns in the third-last match. Sri Lanka won the toss and batted first to win the match by 246 runs. The team winning the toss can again look to bat first.
Weather Report
Considerable cloudiness with a thunderstorm in one or two spots; humid on Day 1 in Galle according to AccuWeather. A thick cloud cover and breezy with a thunderstorm in one or two spots on Day 2. Intervals of clouds and sunshine with a thunderstorm in one or two spots; breezy on Day 3. Mostly cloudy with spotty showers on Day 4. Cloudy with a couple of showers, mainly early on on Day 5. The precipitation level will be as high as 75 percent on the final day. On the rest of the days it would be close to 50 percent. Rain forecast mainly on the final two days. The temperature on all the five days will hover around 30 to 32 degree celsius.
Sri Lanka Player List
SL Squad
Dimuth Karunaratne (c), Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Dhananjaya de Silva, Kamindu Mendis, Nishan Madushka (wk), Sadeera Samarawickrama (wk), Ramesh Mendis, Prabath Jayasuriya, Lakshitha Manasinghe, Praveen Jayawickrama, Dilshan Madushka, Vishwa Fernando, Kasun Rajitha, Pathum Nissanka.
SL Predicted XI
|
Dimuth Karunaratne (CAP) |
Batter |
|
Pathum Nissanka |
Batter |
|
Kusal Mendis (WK) |
WK-Batter |
|
Dinesh Chandimal |
Batter |
|
Angelo Mathews |
All-rounder |
|
Dhananjaya de Silva |
All-rounder |
|
Ramesh Mendis |
All-rounder |
|
Prabath Jayasuriya |
Bowler |
|
Kasun Rajitha |
Bowler |
|
Dilshan Madushanka |
Bowler |
|
Vishawa Fernando |
Bowler |
Sri Lanka Team Form
Sri Lanka registered a comfortable 2-0 win against minnows Ireland in their last Test series. New Zealand hosted the island nation and beat them 2-0 prior to the Ireland series. Sri Lanka won their fifty-last match against Pakistan by 246 runs to salvage a 1-1 draw in a 2-match series last year.
Pakistan Player List
PAK Squad
Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (vc & wk), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Afridi and Shan Masood.
PAK Predicted XI
|
Imam-ul-Haq |
Batter |
|
Abdullah Shafique |
Batter |
|
Shan Masood |
Batter |
|
Babar Azam |
Batter |
|
Sarfaraz Ahmed |
Bowler |
|
Mohammad Rizwan (WK) |
WK-Batter |
|
Saud Shakeel |
Batter |
|
Abrar Ahmed |
Bowler |
|
Hasan Ali |
Bowler |
|
Naseem Shah |
Bowler |
|
Shaheen Afridi |
Bowler |
Pakistan Team Form
Pakistan have not paid attention to their Test cricket in recent times. They have failed to win any of their last five Test matches. They settled for a draw in both the matches of their last Test series against New Zealand. Prior to it, they suffered a 3-0 defeat against England. The alarming thing is, they played all these matches at their home.
SL vs PAK Head to Head
The two Asian countries have competed closely against each other. Pakistan have won just four more matches than Sri Lanka in the rivalry.
Matches: 57
Sri Lanka Won: 17
Pakistan won: 21
Draw: 19
SL vs PAK Betting Odds
Pakistan to score over 300 runs in 1st innings
Pakistan registered scores of 231, 261, 344/6 and 218 in their last two matches against Sri Lanka which came during the 2022 tour. Pakistan managed to cross the 300-run mark only once, however, this time around the visitors have a stronger batting unit.
Babar Azam, Imam-ul-Haq, Shan Masood, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Abdullah Shafique and Mohammad Rizwan form a really strong batting line-up and scoring over 300 runs in the first innings should not be an issue for them.
Sri Lanka do have a talented spin attack but they will be up against really good players of spin. The hosts lack any kind of quality and experience in the pace department. Pakistan should manage to cross the 300-run mark.
SL vs PAK Top Team Batsmen
Dimuth Karunaratne to be Sri Lanka top batter
The veteran Sri Lanka opener expressed desire to step down from captaincy in the new WTC cycle however the board has again given him the role. He is expected to come all guns blazing against Pakistan. The 35-year-old southpaw slammed a cracking hundred in his last innings against Ireland. Against Pakistan, Karunaratne has scored 1040 runs in 12 matches at an average of 47.27. He has two hundreds and six fifties to his name against Pakistan. Overall, Karunaratne has featured in 86 Test matches and scored 6524 runs at an average of 41.29.
Babar Azam to be Pakistan's top batter
The Pakistan captain has a stunning record against Sri Lanka. The right-hand batter has played six Test matches against them and scored 572 runs at an average of 63.55. He has hit three hundreds and as many fifties against the opposition. Babar would be raring to go once again against Sri Lanka. Overall, he has played 47 Test matches and scored 3696 runs at an average of 48.63. Babar has nine Test hundreds to his name.
SL vs PAK top bowler
Prabath Jayasuriya to be Sri Lana Women's top bowler
Prabath Jayasuriya is currently the highest-ranked Sri Lanka Test bowler. He is occupying the 14th spot in the ICC Test rankings for bowlers. In his last outing against Ireland, the slow left-arm spinner picked seven wickets including a five-wicket haul in the first innings. Jayasuriya has a stunning record against Pakistan. In the two matches he has played against them, he has picked 17 wickets at an average of 24.35 and an economy rate of 2.51. Overall, the Matale-born cricketer has picked 50 wickets in just seven Test matches.
Shaheen Afridi to be Pakistan's top bowler
Pakistan left-arm pacer Shaheen Afridi will be hungry to perform in the format which he has missed since July last year. His last Test match also came against the same opposition in July 2022. The 23-year-old picked four wickets in the first innings of the match in Galle, the same venue where Sri Lanka and Pakistan will lock horns again. Afridi has played a total of 25 Test matches and picked 99 wickets at an average of 24.86. He has played three Test matches against Sri Lanka and picked 12 wickets at an average of 22.08.
Our Prediction
Favorites to win: Sri Lanka
Sri Lana will enter the match as the favourites in our opinion. The two teams played their last Test match at the same venue where Sri Lanka won the match by 246 runs.
Pakistan team will once again rely heavily on the batting of Babar Azam. Mohammad Rizwan has been named vice-captain and will be under pressure because of his poor run in the red-ball format. The pressure will also be on Shaheen Shah Afridi who will be playing his first Test match in one year.
The Sri Lankan spin department also looks way ahead of Pakistan’s. The trio of Ramesh Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva and Prabath Jayyasuriya are expected to make life difficult for Pakistan batters.
The Sri Lankan team are tough to beat at home and with a great mix of experience and youth on their side, they look set to beat Pakistan in the first Test.
SL to win - 1.94 (Parimatch)
PAK to win - 1.86 (Parimatch)
