Dhananjaya de Silva - We will bat first. Obvious reason to bat here in galle. We're playing 2 pacers and 2 spinners. The mood is good and the team is well motivated
The conditions look fantastic, the pitch looks good, there's plenty of grass on the surface which is covered by some brown grass. That means there will be movement with the new ball for the first 30-45 minutes. It's still a bta first pitch as always at this venue, get 400-450 and bring the spinners into play, reckons Farveez Maharoof, in his pitch report
Teams:
New Zealand (Playing XI): Tom Latham, Devon Conway, Kane Williamson, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell(w), Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee(c), Ajaz Patel, William ORourke
Sri Lanka (Playing XI): Dimuth Karunaratne, Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis(w), Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews, Dhananjaya de Silva(c), Kamindu Mendis, Ramesh Mendis, Prabath Jayasuriya, Lahiru Kumara, Asitha Fernando
Sri Lanka have won the toss and have opted to bat
9 am local: The Test season has started in earnest and we have Sri Lanka hosting New Zealand for a couple of Tests at the historic Galle international cricket stadium. The hosts are coming into a game on a high after their superb victory over England in the final Test of their tour in the Kennington Oval. On the other hand, New Zealand are cold from the home winter and their only meaningful chance of getting practice in sub-continental conditions, a one-off Test against Afghanistan in Greater Noida getting abandoned thanks to a combination of rain and ineffective draining systems. There are 24 WTC points up for grabs and with both teams very much in the hunt for a place in the 2025 final, these two Tests have a lot to play for. There will be at least one change to the Sri Lanka playing XI when compared to the winning one at the Oval. Milan Rathnayake was left out for the home Tests in favour of an additional spinner. In the other hand, New Zealand have retained the same squad that was chosen for the Test against Afghanistan.
Preview
Not many expected Sri Lanka to win the final Test in England despite it being a dead rubber. In fact, not many expected Sri Lanka to put up a brave fight in the entire series at different junctures. Had they managed to seize their moments in the opening two Tests, the result could have definitely been different. Confidence wise, Sri Lanka are definitely on a high having reached their shores for the next challenge.
Pathum Nissanka's player of the match performance at the Oval has solved one headache up top whereas Kamindu Mendis has continued his meteoric rise. In familiar conditions, these players should only go from strength to strength. They will also be up against an undercooked opponent in New Zealand. With the one-off Test against Afghanistan washed out without a single ball being bowled, New Zealand enter this series with little to no preparation. It is not a good sign for the visitors on a sub-continental tour, especially if the ball starts turning square right from the outset.
There will be a lot of reliance on Kane Williamson in spin-friendly conditions, but the rest of the batters will have to adapt quickly and step up as well. Sterner tests await New Zealand in India after the conclusion of this series so a positive result here would help massively and imbibe confidence into the squad. They can also take confidence from the fact that they have avoided series defeats in their last two Test tours to the island nation.
When: 1st Test, September 18-23, 10 AM local time
Where :Galle International Stadium, Galle
What to expect: Spin is again expected to play a role in the game, as was witnessed the last time Galle hosted a Test match. However, rain is expected to disrupt proceedings almost every day. There will be a rest day on September 21 due to the elections in Sri Lanka.
Team News
Sri Lanka
The hosts have made a few changes from their previous XI owing to conditions predominantly. Milan Rathnayake has been left out despite putting up decent performances in his debut series in England. But Sri Lanka had to make that tough call to bring in their spinners. Dinesh Chandimal has been relieved of his keeping duties and has been promoted to No.3. Kusal Mendis, their wicketkeeper for this Test, will now move to No.7.
There were initial doubts over the number of Tests their skipper Tim Southee potentially would play in this part of the world. But there won't be any question marks over his participation in this Test, given he played a huge role in New Zealand's last two Test wins in Sri Lankan soil.
Probable XI: Tom Latham, Devon Conway, Kane Williamson, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell (WK), Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee (C), Matt Henry/Ben Sears, Ajaz Patel
What they said:
"Unfortunately we can't bring Milan into this XI. We can only play two quicks. Everyone knows what the Galle pitch is like. We already have filled those spots with our two best quicks: Asitha Fernando and Lahiru Kumara." - Sanath Jayasuriya, Sri Lanka's interim head coach
"I guess over time, when you play for a long period, you're able to I guess come close to those, but still being 20 wickets away is a lot of tours, especially in this part of the world." - Tim Southee on getting closer to 400 Test wickets
Squads:
New Zealand Squad: Devon Conway, Tom Latham(w), Kane Williamson, Daryl Mitchell, Will Young, Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner, Ajaz Patel, Tim Southee(c), Matt Henry, Tom Blundell, Rachin Ravindra, Ben Sears, William ORourke
Sri Lanka Squad: Pathum Nissanka, Dimuth Karunaratne, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal(w), Dhananjaya de Silva(c), Kamindu Mendis, Milan Priyanath Rathnayake, Vishwa Fernando, Lahiru Kumara, Asitha Fernando, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Ramesh Mendis, Jeffrey Vandersay, Prabath Jayasuriya, Oshada Fernando
Sri Lanka
New Zealand
