Sri Lankan captain Dhananjaya de Silva won the toss and chose to bat in the first Test against New Zealand, taking place at Galle. Sri Lanka, buoyed by their recent win in England, made strategic changes to adapt to the spin-friendly conditions at Galle, opting for spinners Ramesh Mendis and Prabath Jayasuriya. Dinesh Chandimal also moved up the batting order and relinquished wicketkeeping duties to Kusal Mendis.
New Zealand, eager to bounce back after their washed-out Test against Afghanistan, will face a challenging Galle pitch, especially in the fourth innings. Captain Tim Southee admitted he had hoped to bat first but looked forward to the challenge.
Also Read: AFG vs NZ: Fourth Day of Test Match Cancelled Due to Rain and Outfield Conditions
This match is crucial for World Test Championship points, with New Zealand currently third in the standings and Sri Lanka fifth. The second Test of the series will also be held in Galle later this month.
Teams:
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: Tom Latham, Devon Conway, Kane Williamson, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell (wkt), Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee (capt), Ajaz Patel, William O’Rourke.
