Sri Lanka vs Australia, 1st Test: Match Preview, Head to Head, Playing XI and Broadcast Details

With the white-ball leg done and dusted, the home team Sri Lanka will take on the visitors Australia in a two-match Test series starting on June 29 (Wednesday) at the Galle International Stadium. Both teams have already announced their squads for the series and will look to give their best.

The visitors started their tour on a high note as they went on to win the T20I series. The Men in Yellow would have backed themselves to win the ODI series as well.  However, the home team Sri Lanka showed some excellent character and went on to win the series by a margin of 3-2. With the honours shared when it comes to the white-ball series, both Australia and Sri Lanka will want to end on a high note by winning the two-match Test series.

In a big boost to the visitors, their star batter Steve Smith has been confirmed to play the first Test match. Similarly, prominent allrounder Glenn Maxwell is also expected to feature in the playing XI as he got included in the squad after Travis Head was ruled out of the series due to a hamstring strain. The home side also announced a strong squad for the series with skipper Dimuth Karunaratne leading the team.

Pitch and conditions

A slow and turning track is expected for the first Test match between Sri Lanka and Australia. Batting might not be easy on the Galle track with spinners having a major say in the match. The skipper winning the toss might want to bat first and score big runs in the first innings to stay ahead in the game.

Playing Combinations for SL vs AUS

Sri Lanka

After impressing in the white-ball series, spinner Jeffrey Vandersay has been included in the Test squad and is likely to be part of the playing XI for the first match. In the batting department, senior batters like Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, and Kusal Mendis will have a big role to play.

Predicted Playing XI: Dimuth Karunaratne (c), Pathum Nissanka, Angelo Mathews, Kusal Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dinesh Chandimal, Niroshan Dickwella (wk), Chamika Karunaratne, Lasith Embuldeniya, Jeffrey Vandersay, Kasun Rajitha.

Australia

As mentioned above, the inclusion of Steve Smith in the playing XI will give a huge boost to Australia. Veteran spinner Nathan Lyon will have a key role to play for the visitors and the talented leg-spinner Mitchell Swepson might get a chance to showcase his talent as well.

Predicted Playing XI: David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Alex Carey (wk), Cameron Green, Pat Cummins (c), Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Swepson.

SL vs AUS Head to Head

Played- 31 | Sri Lanka- 4 | Australia- 19  | Draw – 8 |

SL vs AUS Broadcast Details

Match Timings – 10:00 AM IST

Live Streaming – Sony Sports Network and Sony Liv app