GALLE: Sri Lanka captain Dimuth Karunaratne won the toss and elected to bat against Pakistan in the first Test of the series in Galle on Sunday. This match also marks the beginning of the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25 campaign for both teams.
Sri Lanka, who finished fifth but narrowly missed out on the championship final in the previous cycle, have opted for two regular spinners in their playing XI, with Ramesh Mendis and Prabath Jayasuriya taking the field. Meanwhile, Pakistan’s pace spearhead Shaheen Shah Afridi returns to the Test team after recovering from a knee injury he sustained at the same venue a year ago. With 99 wickets in Test cricket, Afridi is eager to reach the milestone of a century.
Babar Azam’s Pakistan team has been seeking their first Test victory since their triumph at the same venue last year. The previous series between the two teams ended in a 1-1 draw, with the hosts bouncing back to win the second Test, also held in Galle.
The playing XIs for both teams are as follows:
Sri Lanka
Dimuth Karunaratne (capt), Nishan Madushka, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dinesh Chandimal, Sadeera Samarawickrama (wk), Ramesh Mendis, Prabath Jayasuriya, Vishwa Fernando, Kasun Rajitha
Pakistan
Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Shan Masood, Babar Azam (capt), Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Saud Shakeel, Agha Salman, Noman Ali, Naseem Shah, Abrar Ahmed, Shaheen Shah Afridi
The on-field umpires for the match are Alex Wharf (ENG) and Rod Tucker (AUS), with Chris Gaffaney (NZL) serving as the TV umpire. The match referee is David Boon (AUS).
As the Test series gets underway, both teams will be eager to make a strong start in the ICC World Test Championship and set the tone for their future performances. The battle between Sri Lanka’s spinners and Pakistan’s pace attack promises to be an intriguing contest, and fans can anticipate an exciting match in the historic city of Galle.
