SL vs ENG Fantasy Prediction: Sri Lanka vs England 1st Test – 14 January (Galle). The English side white-washed Sri Lanka on their last tour and they would be aiming for the same.
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Hosts Sri Lanka will take on England in the 1st test match of the two matches series. The English side would want to settle on the sub-continent conditions before the all-important Indian tour.
Sri Lanka are coming on the back of a series loss against South Africa, but they will enjoy in their home conditions. Dhananjaya de Silva is still injured, whereas Dinesh Chandimal is expected to be fit. The spin duo of Wanindu Hasaranga and Dilruwan Perera is going to enjoy the most on this track.
England will miss the services of Moeen Ali in the series, and this is a huge loss for them. Jake Leach and Dom Bess will be their main spinners, whereas Root and debutant Lawrence will be their part-time spinners. Jonny Bairstow will bat at the number three slot, whereas Sam Curran will be their lone all-rounder. Chris Woakes will also miss this game due to an extended quarantine.
Pitch Conditions
The average 4th innings score at this ground is just 157 runs. Both teams would want to bat 1st on this track. Spinners will enjoy bowling on this track.
We can expect rain to interfere in the game throughout.
Probable XI for both sides:-
Sri Lanka – Dimuth Karunaratne, Kusal Perera, Lahiru Thirimanne, Kusal Mendis, Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews, Niroshan Dickwella, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dilruwan Perera, Lahiru Kumara, Suranga Lakmal.
England – Zak Crawley, Dominic Sibley, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Daniel Lawrence, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Stuart Broad, Dominic Bess, Jake Leach, James Anderson.
Match Details
Two Match Test Series
Match: Sri Lanka vs England First Test Match
Date and Time: 14 January, Thursday – 10:00 am IST
Venue: Galle International Stadium, Galle
Where to Watch: Live on Sony Sports Network
Top 4 Batting Order
Sri Lanka
- Dimuth Karunaratne, Kusal Perera, Lahiru Thirimanne, and Kusal Mendis.
England
- Zak Crawley, Dominic Sibley, Jonny Bairstow, and Joe Root.
Long Spell Bowlers
Sri Lanka
- Wanindu Hasaranga and Dilruwan Perera.
England
- Jake Leach and Dom Bess.
SL vs ENG Fantasy Wicket-Keeper
Kusal Perera will be our wicket-keeper in this game. Perera has settled himself well in the test cricket. He scored 141 runs in two games on the last Proteas tour, and he is a big asset in the home conditions.
SL vs ENG Fantasy Batsmen
Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, and Daniel Lawrence will be our batsmen from England. Root has scored 7823 test runs at an average of 47.70, whereas Bairstow has scored over 4000 test runs. Lawrence will make his test debut in this game, and he has scored almost 4000 runs in first-class cricket. Daniel Lawrence and Joe Root are expected to bowl a fair bit of overs in the absence of Moeen Ali.
Dimuth Karunaratne and Dinesh Chandimal will be our batsmen from Sri Lanka. Karunaratne has scored 976 test runs on this ground, whereas his average has been 51.37. Chandimal has scored 721 test runs in Galle, whereas his average has been 55.46. Both of them love batting on this track of Galle.
SL vs ENG Fantasy All-Rounders
Wanindu Hasaranga and Dilruwan Perera will be our all-rounders from Sri Lanka. Perera has scalped 52 wickets on this very ground, whereas his batting average has been 27.00 here. Hasaranga scalped four wickets in South Africa, whereas his batting average was 30.50. Both of them are wicket-taking spinners, and they will thrive on this track.
SL vs ENG Fantasy Bowlers
From England, Stuart Broad and Dominic Bess will make it into our team. Broad is a veteran of 514 test wickets, whereas his experience on the subcontinent tracks will be vital. Bess has scalped 129 first-class wickets in England, and he can thrive on the subcontinent tracks.
[You can also pick Jake Leach (Spinner) instead of Stuart Broad]
Suranga Lakmal will be our bowler from Sri Lanka. Lakmal has scalped 19 wickets on this ground, whereas his average has been 26.26. He enjoys bowling on this track.
Match Prediction: Sri Lanka are the favourites to win this game.
Top Names for the Captaincy Role
Joe Root and Dimuth Karunaratne
Top Names for the Vice-Captaincy Role:-
Both the captain’s pick + Dilruwan Perera and Wanindu Hasaranga
SportsRush Small-League Fantasy Team for the Game
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Fantasy Disclaimer
All our selections are based on in-depth and astute analysis of the players partaking in the match, pitch report and a perusal of other reasoning. Please incorporate a slew of factors while crafting your own side with this article serving as a guide to the match and players.
