Sri Lanka made it through the first Test pretty well in what was a reasonably close game. The New Zealand batters took time to adapt and a lot of them got starts but could not kick on. They still came into day 5 with an outside chance as Rachin Ravindra played exceptional. Another highlight for them was with the bowling of William O Rourke who was really good with the ball as well taking five wickets in the first innings. Sri Lanka too had a good run with Prabath Jayasuriya proving his speciality in Galle.

SL vs NZ Match Details

Date: September 26th, 2024

Time:  10:00 AM IST

Venue: Galle International Stadium

SL vs NZ Weather Report

Galle looks pretty good for the first three days but there are concerns of rain in the later parts of the Test.

SL vs NZ Pitch Report

Galle tends to deteriorate fast and spin will play a huge role. With wearing conditions batting first will be a no-brainer decision after the toss.

SL vs NZ Predicted Playing XI

SL Playing XI

Dimuth Karunaratne, Pathum Nissanka, Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews, Kamindu Mendis, Kusal Mendis, Dhananjaya De Silva, Ramesh Mendis, Prabath Jayasuriya, Ashitha Fernando, Lahiru Kumara

NZ Playing XI

Tom Latham, Devon Conway, Kane Williamson, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, William O Rourkee, Ajaz Patel

See Also: Today’s Cricket Match Predictions – Cricket Winner

SL vs NZ Key Players

Prabath Jayasuriya

Prabath Jayasuriya has been a master at Galle. In his young Test career he has dominated at the ground. While he was sidelined in England he now has a chance to take the spotlight with Jayasuriya likely to be front and center in the action.

Rachin Ravindra

Rachin Ravindra is a vital all-rounder in white-ball Cricket and he now has his own chance at making it big in the long format. With spin likely to play a huge role he will have his tasks set-up. He is a good player of spin and can be the accurate left-arm spinner as New Zealand look to groom their next generation all-rounder.

SL vs NZ Match Tips

Both sides look pretty good coming into the Test. New Zealand, with their all-rounders have a lot of balance and are stuffed with bowling options. Sri Lanka too are in with some strong options both with bat and ball and picking a favorite looks tough. Galle though has been a happy hunting ground for Sri Lanka and that could leave them marginally favorites.

Match Prediction: Sri Lanka Will Win The Match