Sri Lanka will take on Ireland in the first Test of the two-match series at the Galle International Cricket Stadium in Galle. We have seen the away teams struggling on this track, and it will be interesting to see how the pitch will behave in this match.
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Sri Lanka lost their last Test series in New Zealand, but they will enjoy their home conditions. Dimuth Karunratne is the captain of the side, and he is their most important batter as well. The spin trio of Lasith Embuldeniya, Prabath Jayasuriya and Ramesh Mendis can turn the match around for the home side.
Ireland recently played a Test in Bangladesh and that experience will help them. However, facing Sri Lanka in their home conditions is not going to be easy. Batter Harry Tector scored two half-centuries in the last match, and he would want to continue his form. Off-spinner Andy McBrine will again lead the bowling unit in this match.
Galle International Stadium Pitch Report
The track at the Galle International Stadium is one of the best tracks out there in the world for spinners. It is a usual subcontinent track, and the initial days will be the best ones for batting. A flat track is expected at the start, but it will deteriorate as the match will progress.
Sri Lanka and Pakistan played a Test last year in July, where 32 out of 28 wickets were taken by the spinners. This is a slow turner, and the batters will have to be at their best to score runs on this tough track. The top-6 wicket-takers at this ground are all spinners, and it clears a lot about the pitch.
The average first-innings score here has been 358 runs, whereas the average fourth-innings score as been 158 runs. It is clear that both teams would want to bat first after winning the toss in order to take maximum advantage of the conditions.
