The Proteas are set to host Sri Lanka in a short red-ball series. Both teams are coming into the series off different results. South Africa were recently beaten comprehensively by India in the T20I series, while Sri Lanka got the better of New Zealand at home in an ODI series.
Shifting to the game’s longest format, here are our match preview and predictions for the first Test match between South Africa and Sri Lanka.
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South Africa vs Sri Lanka 1st Test | Sri Lanka tour of South Africa 2024 | 13:00 IST
Temba Bavuma is back at the helm to lead the Proteas and has at his disposal an exciting batting lineup which includes the likes of Aiden Markram, Tristan Stubbs, and Tony de Zorzi. Wiaan Mulder and Gerald Coetzee will be once again crucial with both bat and ball, while Kagiso Rabada will lead the bowling attack alongside Marco Jansen and Keshav Maharaj. We may even see the left-arm spin of Senuran Muthusamy at some point.
The visitors, meanwhile, have Dhananjaya de Silva leading them with an experienced batting lineup which includes the likes of Dimuth Karunaratne, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, and Pathum Nissanka. Asitha Fernando, Lahiru Kumara, and Kasun Rajitha will be key for Sri Lanka on the fast and bouncy South African wickets, while de Silva and Prabath Jayasuriya will be the lead spinners.
At Kingsmead in Durban, the batters should be looking forward to the encounter as it is a high-scoring ground. The pacers should be in play in the opening couple of days, with the spinners expected to come into play late in the Test.
With the home advantage on their side, we expect Bavuma and Co to take the series lead in Durban.
Fantasy XI: Dimuth Karunaratne, Aiden Markram, Tristan Stubbs,Tony de Zorzi, Kusal Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva, Wiaan Mulder, Angelo Mathews, Kagiso Rabada, Marco Jansen, Prabath Jayasuriya
Venue: Durban
Winners Prediction: South Africa
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