Sri Lanka vs Pakistan 2023, 1st Test: SL vs PAK Records and Stats at Galle International Stadium, Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka will host Pakistan for a two-match Test Series starting from 16^th July 16, 2023, at the Galle International Stadium, in Galle. This will be the first series for both the teams in WTC 2023-2025 cycle.

The host Sri Lanka will be coming into the contest, on the back of some brilliant performances in the World-cup Qualifiers 2023. They not only qualified for the World Cup but did that in grand fashion by winning eight games on-Trott, they also bowled out the opposition inside 250 runs in all eight games they played.

Pathum Nissanka, who missed a couple of series has been recalled to the side for the tour, while LPL’s biggest buys Dilshan Madushanka has been handed a red-ball responsibility and is expected to make a debut in the first game. Since 2014, both Sri Lanka and Pakistan have played five series where both teams won two series each while one ended in a draw. SL will look to carry the winning momentum going.

Pakistan, on the other hand, will be heading into the series on the back of a very ordinary performance in WTC 2021-23, as they failed to win a single home game, eventually finishing in the bottom half of the table. They managed to draw the series in Sri Lanka last year. Pakistan last played a series against NZ where they scripted a 4-1 series win.

Sarfaraz Ahmed enjoyed his Test return with a stupendous batting performance, aggregating 335 runs at an average of 83.75 in four innings while Shaheen Afridi was declared fit and will be making a comeback to the Test side after a gap of a year. Pakistan will look to start their campaign on a positive note.

Sri Lanka vs Pakistan Head-to-Head Records:

In 57 games played between the two teams, Pakistan have an edge over Sri Lanka with 21 wins to 17 wins, while 19 of the games have ended in a draw.

Test Records and Stats at Galle International Stadium:

The spinners here at this venue have enjoyed bowling a lot more than pacers, accounting for 889 wickets at an average of 30.27 in 43 games while pace bowlers have picked 438 wickets at an average of 36.05. Teams batting first have won 23 out of 43 games while teams chasing have won 14 games, six games have ended in a draw. The average score while batting first at Galle is 366.72. Hence, teams winning the toss have preferred to bat first to avoid batting in the fourth innings.

SL vs PAK, the battleground:

Shaheen Shah Afridi has dismissed Dimuth Karunaratne twice in five innings, while Karunaratne has scored 41 runs in 75 balls. Afridi has also picked Dhananjaya de Silva twice in 72 balls while giving away 30 runs. Dinesh Chandimal has an average of 40.50 against Naseem Shah in 106 balls scoring 81 runs, while Naseem Shah has picked him twice. In a total of 4 innings played between Babar Azam and Prabath Jayasuriya, Babar has scored 132 runs at an average of 44 in 255 balls, while Jayasuriya has dismissed him thrice. Jayasuriya has also picked both Abdullah Shafique and Mohammad Rizwan twice in three and four innings while giving away 75 and 49 runs, respectively.

Highest and Lowest Totals:

Sri Lanka’s highest total against Pakistan in Test is 644 while their lowest total is 71.

Pakistan's highest total against Sri Lanka in Test is 765 while their lowest total is 90.

Top Players to Watch Out For:

Sri Lanka: Dimuth Karunaratne, Dinesh Chandimal, Prabath Jayasuriya

Pakistan: Babar Azam, Sarfraz Ahmed, Abrar Ahmed

Sri Lanka vs Pakistan Full Squads:

Pakistan

Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (vc, wk), Shaheen Afridi, Aamer Jamal, Abrar Ahmed, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Hasan Ali, Nauman Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Huraira, Shan Masood, Mohammad Nawaz, Salman Ali Agha, Abdullah Shafique, Naseem Shah, Saud Shakeel

Sri Lanka:

Dimuth Karunaratne (c), Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Dhananjaya de Silva, Kamindu Mendis, Nishan Madushka (wk), Sadeera Samarawickrama (wk), Ramesh Mendis, Prabath Jayasuriya, Lakshitha Manasinghe, Praveen Jayawickrama, Dilshan Madushka, Vishwa Fernando, Kasun Rajitha, Pathum Nissanka.