Live Cricket Match
Sri Lanka vs New Zealand 1st Test, Live Streaming: Sri Lanka will be taking on New Zealand in the first Test of the two-match series, starting from Wednesday in Galle. The Dhananjaya de Silva-led side will be coming to this clash after acing a 1-2 defeat in a recently-concluded three-match Test series against England. New Zealand, on the other hand, arrived in India few days back to play their one-off Test against Afghanistan. However, the match got abandoned without a ball being bowled as for the first two days, the groundstaff at the Greater Noida stadium failed to make the ground match ready due to wet outfield. Later, the heavy rain resulted in the match getting cancelled.
This will be a crucial series for both the sides as they are fighting for a spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) final, which will be played in June 2025 at the Lord's.
Sri Lanka: Dimuth Karunaratne, Pathum Nissanka, Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews, Kamindu Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva (capt), Kusal Mendis (wkt), Ramesh Mendis, Prabath Jayasuriya, Lahiru Kumara, Asitha Fernando.
New Zealand: Tim Southee (capt), Tom Blundell (wkt), Michael Bracewell, Devon Conway, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Will O’Rourke, Ajaz Patel, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Ben Sears, Kane Williamson, Will Young.
World Test Championship points are on the line and the Black Caps are third behind India and Australia in the table. Sri Lanka are fifth.
“We haven’t played a Test match since March, but exciting times are ahead of us as we play eight games between now and December,” Southee told reporters in Galle.
New Zealand will then play a three-Test series away in India beginning in October, before another three-Test series against England back home.
“We are looking forward to making an impact and move forward,” Southee added. “We know how important points in these games are.”
The tourists will bank heavily on ex-captain Kane Williamson, who has an outstanding record against Sri Lanka, with Southee calling the 34-year-old “vital”.
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