Sri Lanka vs Pakistan 1st Test: Galle International Stadium Pitch Report and Weather Forecast

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Sri Lanka will take on Pakistan in the first Test at the Galle International Stadium from Sunday, July 16. The match will kick off at 9:30 AM IST (10 AM local time). The first match of the 2-Test series will give both Sri Lanka and Pakistan the chance to open their World Test Championship 2023-25 cycle with a win.

Sri Lanka recently played a Test series against Ireland in April and won it by a 2-0 margin. Pakistan played their last Test match against New Zealand in the first week of January.

The two teams competed against each other in the format at the same time last year. Sri Lanka won the second Test in Galle by 246 runs to salvage a 1-1 draw.

Galle International Stadium Pitch Report

In the last match here at the venue, Ireland won the toss and piled up 492 runs against host Sri Lanka. In reply Sri Lanka declared their first innings at 704/3 before winning the match by an innings and 10 runs.

Sri Lanka left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya picked a five-wicket haul in the first innings and two wickets in the second. Off-spinner Ramesh Mendis returned with a five-wicket haul for Sri Lanka in the second innings.

In the second-last match as well, Sri Lanka won the toss and opted to bat, piling up 591/6 before declaring. Ireland were bundled out for 143 after a 7-wicket haul from Jayasuriya in the first innings. In the second innings, Mendis picked four wickets to wrap up Ireland's innings at 168.

It's quite evident that, Galle surface supports spin bowlers and teams like to bat here after winning the toss to avoid batting in the fourth innings. Batters can score runs once they are settled in and show good technique and patience.

Galle Weather Forecast on July 15

Hot and humid in Galle according to AccuWeather on Sunday, July 14. The temperature would go up to 29 degree celsius. The humidity level will hover around 80 percent. Chances of rain with precipitation level of 60 percent.

Rain Prediction in Galle on July 15: High chances of rain on Day 1 of the SL vs PAK 1st Test. Cloud covers will be there over the stadium throughout the day. A couple of thunderstorms have also been predicted.

SL vs PAK 1st Test: Head-to-head record

Matches: 57

Sri Lanka Won: 17

Pakistan Won: 21

SL vs PAK 1st Test Match Details

Match Start Time: 9:30 AM IST

Live Streaming: Sony Sports Network will live stream the match on Sony Sports 2. The match can also be seen on Sony Liv app.