Sri Lanka are ready to face England in the first Test of the three-match series starting in Galle from Tuesday. The home side will enter the contest in a desperate state, as they lost the five-match ODI series 3-1 and also ended on the losing side in the one-off T20I as well.
In their last five matches in the five-day format, the Islanders only managed to win one game and suffered three defeats. In the batting department, the team will be relying on captain Dinesh Chandimal and former captain Angelo Mathews to score bulk of the runs, whereas in the bowling department, the focus will be on veteran left-arm spinner Rangana Herath to produce in his last match in international cricket.
On the other hand, the visitors will be flying high after an outstanding performance in the recently concluded limited-overs series. In their last assignment in the five-day format, the Three Lions registered a comprehensive 4-1 win against Virat Kohli-led India. In the batting department, England will be dependent on captain Joe Root to show once again what he is capable of in the longest format of the game, whereas in the bowling department, the focus will be on spin-duo of Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid to produce the goods.
So far, both teams have faced off 31 times in the five-day format, with England winning 12 matches whereas Sri Lanka came out on top on eight occasions. Highest individual score of 213 in the contest between both sides was
Sri Lanka are ready to face England in the first Test of the three-match series starting in Galle from Tuesday. The home side will enter the contest in a desperate state, as they lost the five-match ODI series 3-1 and also ended on the losing side in the one-off T20I as well.
In their last five matches in the five-day format, the Islanders only managed to win one game and suffered three defeats. In the batting department, the team will be relying on captain Dinesh Chandimal and former captain Angelo Mathews to score bulk of the runs, whereas in the bowling department, the focus will be on veteran left-arm spinner Rangana Herath to produce in his last match in international cricket.
On the other hand, the visitors will be flying high after an outstanding performance in the recently concluded limited-overs series. In their last assignment in the five-day format, the Three Lions registered a comprehensive 4-1 win against Virat Kohli-led India. In the batting department, England will be dependent on captain Joe Root to show once again what he is capable of in the longest format of the game, whereas in the bowling department, the focus will be on spin-duo of Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid to produce the goods.
So far, both teams have faced off 31 times in the five-day format, with England winning 12 matches whereas Sri Lanka came out on top on eight occasions. Highest individual score of 213 in the contest between both sides was scored by former Sri Lanka opening batsman Sanath Jayasuriya in 1998, whereas best bowling figures of 9-65 was registered by legendary off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan in 1998.
Galle International Cricket Stadium is a venue which has already hosted 30 Test matches so far. Highest team score of 638 was registered by Bangladesh in 2013, whereas the lowest score of 73 was registered by South Africa earlier this year.
Key Players:
Moeen Ali – 9 Cr
First in the list of key players features England all-rounder Moeen Ali. The 31-year-old will be expected to play a big role for the visitors in the match due to conditions which will be favourable for spin bowlers. Keeping that in mind, Ali, who is valued at 9 Cr, is likely to be an ideal acquisition, considering the fact he is not only a good spin bowler, but can also face spin pretty well with the bat in hand. This will be the first time when Ali will be playing in a Test match in Sri Lanka. However, while playing in Asia in the five-day format, Ali has scored 557 runs at an average 29.31 and has 30 wickets to his name.
Rangana Herath – 9 Cr
Second in the list features Sri Lanka left-arm spinner Rangana Herath. The veteran left-armer will be taking part in his first game at the international level and the home side will be expecting big things from him. Since the track is expected to be a rank-turner, Herath, who is valued at 9 Cr, is the man to have in your team as he has the ability to do some real damage in favourable conditions. The 40-year-old has 430 wickets in 92 games in the five-day format. While playing at home, Herath has 275 wickets in just 48 matches at an average of 23.41 and strike-rate of 50.85.
Angelo Mathews – 9.5 Cr
Third in the list features Sri Lanka's Angelo Mathews. The veteran all-rounder is making a comeback in the national team after being dropped from the ODI and T20I squad and will be eager to show selectors that he is still good enough to represent the Islanders in all format. Valued at 9.5 Cr, Mathews can be the ideal player to have in your team as he has the experience and hunger which can prove to be the real difference.
