The first Test match between Sri Lanka and New Zealand will be played on 18th September at Galle International Cricket Stadium. Sri Lanka has already announced their playing eleven for the match. Sri Lanka’s confidence is high after their victory in the third Test against England, where Pathum Nissanka played a brilliant knock and scored a century to help the team win. On the other hand, New Zealand’s Test match against Afghanistan in India was canceled due to rain. This series is very important for both teams in the context of the World Test Championship, so an exciting match is expected.
New Zealand’s record in the Indian subcontinent is not great, but this time, they have come well-prepared, with five spin bowlers in the squad, including Ajaz Patel, who took all 10 wickets in an innings against India. In the current World Test Championship points table, New Zealand is in third place with a PCT of 50.00. The team has won three matches and lost three so far.
Why there will be a 6 Day Test Match between Sri Lanka and New Zealand
The first Test between Sri Lanka and New Zealand will be held from 18th to 23rd September. Due to the presidential elections in Sri Lanka, there will be a rest day on 21st September. The second Test will be played from 26th to 30th September. Both matches will start at 10 AM IST. In India, the Test series will be broadcast live on Sony Sports 5, while live streaming will be available on the SonyLiv app and website. FanCode will also stream the matches.
Squads for the Test series:
Sri Lanka: Dhananjaya de Silva (captain), Dimuth Karunaratne, Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal (wicketkeeper), Kamindu Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Oshada Fernando, Asitha Fernando, Vishwa Fernando, Lahiru Kumara, Prabath Jayasuriya, Ramesh Mendis, Jeffrey Vandersay, Milan Rathnayake.
New Zealand: Tim Southee (captain), Tom Blundell (wicketkeeper), Michael Bracewell, Devon Conway, Matt Henry, Tom Latham (vice-captain), Daryl Mitchell, Will O’Rourke, Ajaz Patel, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Ben Sears, Kane Williamson, Will Young.