Sri Lanka vs New Zealand Preview & Prediction | 1st Test
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On the back of their Test series in England, Sri Lanka remain home for a two-match set against New Zealand, with both games taking place in Galle.
DATE/TIME: Wednesday 18th September 2024 - UK – 5:30am / India – 10:00am / US EST – 12:30am / Tuesday 17thSeptember 2024 - US PST – 9:30pm
VENUE: Galle International Stadium, Galle, Sri Lanka
WEATHER: Sunshine across all five days with hot temperatures of 28c, although there is a chance of a thundery shower at some point over the course of the Test.
HOW TO WATCH ON TV: UK – TNT Sports / US – Willow TV
HOW TO WATCH ONLINE: UK – discovery+ / US – Willow TV
SRI LANKA FORM: VICTORY AT THE OVAL SOMETHING TO BUILD ON
Although Sri Lanka may have been beaten by England 2-1 in their three-match Test series, for Sri Lanka to win the third and final Test at the Kia Oval was an excellent way for them to finish the tour and serves as a platform that they can build upon moving forward in red ball cricket as they search to nail down their best side.
LAST FIVE: WLLWW
NEW ZEALAND FORM: FIRST TEST SINCE MARCH DUE TO AFGHANISTAN WASH OUT
New Zealand were supposed to come into this Test on the back of having played Afghanistan in what would’ve been ideal preparation for a tough Sub Continental assignment. However, terrible rain saw all five scheduled days washed out and the match abandoned with a ball being bowled, which leaves the Black Caps in danger of being undercooked.
LAST FIVE: ALLWW
SRI LANKA BETTING ANALYSIS
Assuming that Galle proves to be a pitch that offers substantial assistance to spin-bowlers, particularly as the Test goes on and the wicket potentially breaks, it would be smart to zone in on Sri Lanka’s top spinner. Prabath Jayasuriya has proven himself to be a reliable tweaker in Test match cricket and his slow left-arm bowlers could be very effective here. Therefore, explore backing Jayasuriya to win the ‘Player of the Match’ award at high value odds. Should he record a high volume of wickets, he’ll stand a big chance of taking the award.
NEW ZEALAND BETTING ANALYSIS
New Zealand will look to counter Sri Lanka’s bowling attack with their quality batting unit that on paper, looks an excellent source of runs. Kane Williamson remains the star performer and his patience will be important in this one. He’s capable of going big if he can get himself in and warrants backing to score over 74.5 match runs across the contest.
SRI LANKA VS NEW ZEALAND EXPERT PREDICTION
The big worry here for New Zealand is coming into this Test, their players are lacking time out in the middle and the Afghanistan match being rained off means that they have gone an extremely long period of time without any Test cricket under their belts, which should wind up having an adverse effect on the tourists.
We saw in Sri Lanka’s tour of England, how they started the first Test slowly due to not being able to put in sufficient practice. With that in mind, backing Sri Lanka appears the sensible move and even more so when considering that they are playing at home.
SRI LANKA VS NEW ZEALAND TIP: SRI LANKA TO WIN
