The Sri Lanka cricket team will lock horns against New Zealand for the first Test match of the two-match Test series, which is set to commence on September 18 at Galle International Cricket Stadium. The hosts Sri Lanka will be up against the New Zealand with a short turnaround after what unfortunately turned out to be a joyous season, especially after the win against England at the Oval.
Sri Lanka has won three out of their last five Test outings. The team is coming from a Test series loss by 2-1 against England. They will host New Zealand in this series and will be confident in the next game.
The last time both sides faced in a Test series, New Zealand ended up winning both games last year. However, that win was at home, and performing and winning the Test matches outside the home is a daunting task for the Black Caps, who, despite winning the inaugural World Test Championship, haven’t won a single overseas assignment since 2019.
SL vs NZ : Previous Performances
Sri Lanka and New Zealand will face each other in a historic test match, starting on September 18 (Wednesday) at the Galle International Stadium. It is historic because it will be a six-day test due to the presidential election in Sri Lanka. This is the first of the two-match test series between the two, which is part of the World Test Championship. Sri Lanka are coming off a 1-2 series loss in England. On the other hand, the one-off test for New Zealand was completed rained out a few days back.
Sri Lanka went against England in a three match Test series against England before coming here. They lost the first two games but managed a win in the third game. The team lost the series by 2-1. Sri Lanka will be hosting New Zealand in a two-match Test series. They will be confident coming into this series at home.
New Zealand are playing their first cricket game after the T20 World Cup. They took an early exit from the competition. The team lost the last Test series they played against Australia. They lost both the games and had to taste a horrible defeat. The kiwis are set to take on Sri Lanka in the upcoming game. They have a stellar squad and will be ready for a thrilling contest.
SL vs NZ : Head to Head
New Zealand and Sri Lanka have clashed 38 times in the Test format. New Zealand won 18 games while Sri Lanka managed to win on 9 occasions.
Sri Lanka won- 9
New Zealand won- 18
No result/ Abandoned- 11
SL vs NZ : Pitch Report
The Galle surface clearly favours spin bowlers, and teams usually prefer to bat first after winning the toss to avoid batting in the fourth innings. Batsmen can accumulate runs if they settle down, exhibit good technique, and display patience. Hence, the captains will not hesitate to bow first on this wicket. The game is expected to be played under cloudy conditions accompanied with rain. The maximum temperature will not exceed 29°C.
The Galle International Stadium is a spin-dominant venue in Sri Lanka. As seen in recent times, Sri Lanka offer a spin wicket whenever any team travels here. So, something similar will be expected for the first game as well. The team that can play the spin well will win, as both sides have quality spin units.
There’s rain expected across all five days of the Test, including the rest day on day four. With the Galle surface usually deteriorating by days four and five, winning the toss and batting first is almost mandatory.
SL vs NZ : Big Picture : Shades of 2019 in 2024 with Sri Lanka locking horns with New Zealand
A lot has happened since New Zealand last toured Sri Lanka. Back then, in 2019, the world was yet to be introduced to Covid-19, while the Lankans were only just recovering from Rangana Herath’s retirement. Fast forward to the present, the pandemic is firmly in the rearview while Herath is gearing up to for duty as New Zealand’s spin-bowling coach.
That said, similarities also abound from that last tour. For one, like then, Sri Lanka enter buoyed by a historic result overseas – then it was a momentous series win in South Africa, and in 2024 it’s a consolatory Test win in England to cap off a hard-fought tour. The 2019 series was also held in a presidential election year, though that one was not nearly as imminent as the one set to interrupt the first Test with a rest day.
This is also still, largely, that same New Zealand outfit – barring a few retirements, a few new faces and a bit more grey hair. It’s also one that might be a little undercooked in terms of where they might like to be in preparation for their run at this cycle of the World Test Championship.
A washed-out Test against Afghanistan earlier this month means the last time New Zealand played a Test was in March, while they haven’t had a competitive fixture since the World Cup in June. They’re still nominally well-placed in the WTC standings in third place, with three wins and three losses, but two Tests in spin-friendly Galle – where they’ve never won – followed by three more in India reads a fairly tall task.
As for Sri Lanka, they’ve had a fairly rollercoaster year. Good performances in the early part of the year against Zimbabwe, Afghanistan and Bangladesh were juxtaposed by a horror T20 World Cup showing, which was then followed by a quite excellent ODI series win against India at home. In England too, they were in danger of being embarrassed but a splendid display in the third Test ensured they would come into this home series with that winning bounce.
That last win could still prove pivotal in their quest for an unlikely WTC final berth, with four of their next six Tests at home. The weather, however, might be following the visitors over from Greater Noida in India, with rain expected across the first Test.
SL vs NZ : Vital Stats that matters
- Only on five occasions has the side winning the toss opted not to bat first in Galle, they’ve won on two of those.
- Lahiru Kumara is four wickets away from becoming the eighth Sri Lankan to 100 Test wickets.
- Henry Nicholls is 27 runs short of 3,000 Test runs.
- New Zealand have lost all four Tests they’ve played in Galle.
- Tim Southee’s 64 wickets is the highest by an active player against Sri Lanka, though only 19 of those have come away.
SL vs NZ : Team News
Sri Lanka
Oshada Fernando is back in the Test squad for the first time in over the year, but Sri Lanka have opted not to change up a winning combination, at least in terms of the batting. Kusal Mendis will take the gloves but as a result, will not bat at no.3. This will see Dinesh Chandimal pushed up the order, while Mendis will move lower down the order to no.7. Spin will be front and centre, so Ramesh Mendis will offer support to Prabhat Jayasuriya.
SL Probable XI : Dimuth Karunaratne, Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal (wk.), Dhananjaya de Silva (c), Ramesh Mendis, Milan Rathnayake, Kamindu Mendis, Prabhat Jayasuriya, Asitha Fernando
New Zealand
Much of New Zealand’s playing XI picks itself, with part-time spin options aplenty to support Mitchell Santner and Ajaz Patel. There are only question marks over the second seam option alongside Tim Southee. New Zealand is a very strong squad. They have always dominated over Sri Lanka in the Test format. The team won four of the last five games against Sri Lanka
The team has Will Young, Glenn Phillips and Kane Williamson in the batting unit. Mitchell Santner will be handling the spin department. Rachin Ravindra and Daryl Mitchell are capable all-rounders in the team. Tom Latham will have his gloves on. Matt Henry, Tim Southee, Ben Sears and William O’Rourke will be responsible in the bowling department. The team will be confident going into the next game.
NZ Probable XI : Devon Conway, Tom Latham, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Kane Williamson, Glenn Phillips, Tom Blundell (wk.), Mitchell Santner, Ajaz Patel, Tim Southee, Matt Henry
SL vs NZ Fantasy Playing XI : Devon Conway, Angelo Mathews, Kane Williamson, Daryl Mitchell, Pathum Nissanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Mitchell Santner, Rachin Ravindra (Captain), Kamindu Mendis (Vice Captain), Tim Southee, Prabhat Jayasuriya
SL vs NZ : Batters and Bowlers to look out for in a Test Match
Kamindu Mendis is the top batter from Sri Lanka. He was fantastic in the last Test Series against England. He scored 12 & 113, 74 & 4 and 64 runs in the three Test matches against England. Mendis averages at 77.22 in his Test format and will enter as the best batting option from Sri Lanka.
Kane Williamson is one of the most successful Test batters in the cricket world. He has scored 8743 runs in his 90 Test career innings at an average of 54.98. He bagged three centuries in his last ten Test innings. Williamson will be confident and coming in as the best batting option from New Zealand.
Asitha Fernando was fantastic with the ball in the last series against England. He took 17 wickets in the three Test matches. He also maintained a decent economy rate of his deliveries. Fernando will walk in as the best bowler from Sri Lanka.
Tim Southee is a terrific bowler in the team. He has picked 380 Test wickets in 190 innings of his Test career. He picked 9 wickets in the last Test series against Australia. Looking at his form, he will be coming in as the best bowler from New Zealand.
SL vs NZ : Probable Best Players of the Match
When it comes to Galle-related threats, there’s nowhere else to start than Prabhat Jayasuriya. Of his eight home Tests, six have been at Galle, where he boasts a preposterous record of 53 wickets across 12 innings. In half of those innings, he’s grabbed at least five wickets, while only once has he picked up less than a three-for. Jayasuriya was sidelined for the tour of England, not even playing in the final Test, and he’ll be keen to seize the spotlight once more.
Rachin Ravindra has already made his mark in white-ball cricket but his Test career is still fledgling. Even so, with a double-ton to his name and batting in that crucial number four position, he is undoubtedly an integral cog in New Zealand’s setup – for the present and the future – but where he might be of particular use is in the subcontinent.
Five of his seven Tests have been played at home, and so he is relatively untested on Asian tracks, but his combination of left-arm orthodox spin and strong batting fundamentals means he has all the ingredients to translate that strong home form into away returns.
SL vs NZ : Match Prediction
New Zealand’s cricket team holds a dominant record against Sri Lanka in the Tests. The sides have clashed 38 times in the format. New Zealand won 18 games while Sri Lanka won on 9 occasions. The sides last clashed in a two-match series in March, 2023. New Zealand won both the games. New Zealand will enjoy the bowling conditions and will be looking to exploit their strong squad in the first Test. That said, New Zealand will be expected to win here.
Sri Lanka have a great record at home, and they know how to deal with spin conditions. But New Zealand are well prepared with an all-round unit. That’s why we predict New Zealand will win the first test.
- New Zealand’s chance of winning: 55%
- Sri Lanka’s chance of winning: 45%