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Sri Lanka and Pakistan will play two Test matches to begin their campaigns in the new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle (2023-25). The first Test will begin from July 16 at the Galle International Cricket Stadium. Meanwhile, the second Test will be played at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo. 

Sri Lanka last played a two-match Test series against Ireland at home in April 2023, and won both the matches. Pakistan, on the other hand, hosted New Zealand in their previous Test series in December 2022. Notably, both matches ended in a draw.

Pakistan began their tour to Sri Lanka with a warm-up game against the Sri Lanka Cricket Presidents XI in Hambantota. 

Here are the three players to watch out for from Sri Lanka in the first Test against Pakistan:

Angelo Mathews

Veteran all-rounder Angelo Mathews is one player to watch out for from the Sri Lankan team in the first Test against Pakistan. He featured in Sri Lanka’s last Test series against Ireland in April. After being dismissed for a duck in the first Test, Mathews bounced back and scored an unbeaten century in the second game. He has amassed 7218 Test runs from 104 matches at an average of 45.39 and a strike rate of 48.37, with his highest score being an unbeaten 200*.

Dhananjaya de Silva

Despite failed to perform well with the bat and the ball in the Test series against Ireland. However, he is expected to do well in the upcoming series. The 31-year-old has amassed over 3000 runs from 49 matches, including nine centuries and 11 fifties at an average of 38.35 and a strike rate of 56.86. He has picked up 34 wickets at an average of 56.35 and an impressive economy rate of 3.32.

Prabath Jayasuriya

Prabath Jayasuriya will be another player to watch out for from Sri Lanka in the first Test. The left-arm spinner was crucial for Sri Lanka in their previous series against Ireland. He picked up a total of ten wickets in the first Test and seven in the second. With his spell during the second Test, Jayasuriya created history, becoming the fastest spinner to take 50 wickets in red-ball cricket.