Sri Lanka and Australia will face each other in the first Test match of the two-match Warne-Murali Test series on 29th January at Galle.
Match Preview:
The upcoming series between Sri Lanka and Australia will not have an impact on the respective standings of the teams in the ongoing ICC World Test Championship.
For once, it was thought Sri Lanka could make it into the final of the ongoing Championship after they whitewashed New Zealand at home. Nevertheless, all the hopes were diminished when the Asian giants toured South Africa and suffered a series defeat.
If anything, Sri Lanka will look to cap off their cycle on a high note as their current cycle was a mix of both bitter-sweet feelings!
“We were close to getting to the WTC final,” Dhananjaya said. “We have a good side and we were unlucky in a couple of games. If you take the two Tests we lost to Pakistan [at the start of the cycle] that was a big drawback. But we need to finish the cycle strong. If we can get to No. 3, then we will be satisfied.”
The Dhananjaya de Silva-led side played a better brand of cricket in both away and home tours.
Moving to this series against Australia, Sri Lanka will look to beat the side and Kamindu Mendis will have to play an important role in this series. Mendis was the emerging cricketer of the year for 2024 and if anything the star player will look to emulate the heroics in 2025 as well.
Besides him the wicket-keeper batter Dinesh Chandimal, spinner Prabath Jayasuriya, and the pacer Asitha Fernando will have to play an important role if the home side want to defeat the tourists.
Talking about Australia, they will be coming from a successful series against India after winning Border-Gavaskar Trophy and cementing place in the final of the ongoing WTC where they will face South Africa in June!
Last time Australia played in Galle was in 2022 when the both sides tied the Test series 1-1.
Marnus Labuschagne will be the key player in the batting unit as last time he scored a century against Sri Lanka improving his average and record in the Asian conditions. Besides him, the stand-in skipper Steve Smith will be eyeing a historic record; he is one run away from completing 10,000 in Test cricket.
On eve of the first Test, Smith acknowledged different conditions and spoke to his teammates who had less experience in these conditions.
“Last time we came, we played on one that spun from ball one and the other one was pretty flat in the first innings, and then spun a lot in the second innings.
“So it’s important to have plans for both kinds of surfaces. Then if it is extreme from the outset, then you need to be proactive and follow different methods to score runs. You just have to adapt as quickly as possible to what you get.”
Besides Marnus, Smith will be the key player for his side as he averages 49.75 on the Island having scored 2 centuries.
Pitch and weather report:
Galle is experiencing unseasonal rain, but interruptions are unlikely to prevent a result, as Galle Tests rarely go the distance. The pitch is expected to be batting-friendly initially, with temperatures set to remain around 30°C.
Probable Playing XI:
Australia (possible): 1 Usman Khawaja, 2 Travis Head, 3 Marnus Labuschagne, 4 Steven Smith (capt.), 5 Josh Inglis, 6 Beau Webster, 7 Alex Carey (wk), 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Mathew Kuhnemann, 10 Nathan Lyon, 11 Scott Boland/ Todd Murphy
Sri Lanka (possible) 1 Dimuth Karunaratne, 2 Oshada Fernando, 3 Dinesh Chandimal, 4 Angelo Mathews, 5 Kamindu Mendis, 6 Dhananjaya de Silva (capt.), 7 Kusal Mendis (wk), 8 Prabath Jayasuriya, 9 Nishan Peiris, 10 Asitha Fernando, 11 Lahiru Kumara/Vishwa Fernando
Head-to-head record:
In their head-to-head encounters, Sri Lanka and Australia have played 33 matches. Australia has emerged victorious 20 times, while Sri Lanka has won 5 matches. The remaining 8 matches ended in no result.
Prediction:
Given Australia’s recent performances, the side is expected to win the first Test of the series.
Where to watch:
Pakistan: Tapmad
India: SonyLiv App and website
