SRI LANKA VS PAKISTAN MATCH DETAILS:

Match: Sri Lanka vs. Pakistan, 2nd Test, Pakistan tour of Sri Lanka, 2022
Date and Time: July 24, 2022; 10 AM IST
Venue: Galle International Stadium, Galle

Sri Lanka and Pakistan will lock horns in the second and final Test of the two-match series from July 24 (Sunday) in Galle. This game was supposed to take place in Colombo. However, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) shifted the venue back to Galle, the venue that hosted the 1st Test, due to prevailing conditions in the country.

The visitors are leading the series 1-0 thanks to Abdullah Shafique unbeaten 160 in the mammoth chase of 342 in the fourth innings of the opening Test. Babar Azam also scored one of his best Test tons in the first innings, helping the team recover from a precarious position of 148/9.

Sri Lanka, on the other hand, will be gutted to have conceded the highest chase at Galle. Prabath Jayasuriya was the only bowler who threatened to take the game away from Pakistan in the fourth innings. A lack of support from the other end meant Sri Lanka lost a chance to take the lead in the series.

Their skipper Dimuth Karunaratne also lamented not posting a decent first innings total after winning the toss.

Coming into the second Test, both teams are suffering from injury concerns to their key players. Pakistan has been dealt with a blow as Shaheen Afridi has been ruled out with a knee injury. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka’s spinner Maheesha Theekshana has been ruled out with an injury to his bowling hand.

The hosts are expected to hand off-spinner Lakshitha Manasinghe Test debut, while Pathum Nissanka has also been added to the Test squad after recovering from COVID-19. Having thrashed Australia by an innings, Sri Lanka was brimming with confidence and gave Pakistan a great fight in the series opener. 

In fact, they were in the pole position at various points during the test match, but it was courtesy of some fine performances from Babar Azam and Abdullah Shafique that the visitors were able to get over the line by four wickets in the first Test.

Pakistan made a contentious selection, going in with three pace bowlers at a Galle surface which assisted spinners and did not really require as many quicks. Pakistan must have realized that quite quickly and are likely to add another spinner to their attack.

The team management didn’t show enough confidence in Nauman Ali, who wasn’t able to set the stage on fire in Pakistan’s home test series against Australia, but the management also needs to understand that the nature of the pitches at the two venues is completely different and a left-arm spinner can prove a handful for the opposition as Prabath Jayasuriya showed yet again in the first test match.

SRI LANKA VS PAKISTAN PITCH REPORT

The surface at Galle will be different in this Test, but fans can expect it to assist the spin bowlers right from the word go as it did in the first Test. However, the batters will enjoy batting on this pitch once they get their eyes just the way Babar and Shafique did.

The team winning the toss should have no hesitation in opting to bowl first after winning the toss.

SRI LANKA VS PAKISTAN WEATHER FORECAST

The temperature is set to be clear for the first three days with a minimum chance of rain. However, the forecast is for a lot of rain on the last two days of the Test match, which might turn out to be crucial in the end.

SRI LANKA VS PAKISTAN IS PROBABLE XIS

SRI LANKA

Sri Lanka will have to make a forced change to their playing XI, which didn’t do much wrong in the first Test. Theekshana is set to miss this Test, while Lakshitha Manasinghe is likely to get his Test debut. However, even Ramesh Mendis is also an off-spinner which might force the hosts to think differently.

Jeffrey Vandersay and Dunith Wellalage are the other spinners in the squad. Moreover, it also remains to be seen if Nissanka regains his place at the top of the order despite Oshada Fernando’s decent showing in the first Test.

Probable XI: Oshada Fernando/Pathum Nissanka, Dimuth Karunaratne (C), Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Niroshan Dickwella (WK), Ramesh Mendis, Prabath Jayasuriya, Lakshitha Manasinghe/Jeffrey Vandersay, Kasun Rajitha.

PAKISTAN

Pakistan surprisingly left out Fawad Alam in the first Test and opted for Agha Salman, who didn’t do well. Fans may see the veteran regaining his place in the XI. With Shaheen Afridi missing this game, the visitors will definitely look to strengthen their spin attack with the inclusion of Nauman Ali.

Probable XI: Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Azhar Ali, Babar Azam (C), Mohammad Rizwan (WK), Agha Salman, Mohammad Nawaz, Yasir Shah, Hasan Ali, Nauman Ali, Naseem Shah.

SRI LANKA VS PAKISTAN MATCH PREDICTION

Pakistan had an answer to every challenge Sri Lanka threw at them in the series opener. But chases in excess of 300 on such a turning pitch don’t happen always, and the batting line-up will have to contribute as a unit this time around.

On the other hand, Sri Lanka’s batting, as of now, looks sorted and has only strengthened with Nissanka’s return. Prabath will hope for some more support from the other end this time, and the hosts should be able to level the series.

Prediction: Sri Lanka to win the second Test against Pakistan.