Who will win Pak vs SL 1st Test?
Sri Lanka are set to begin their tour of the United Arab Emirates and Pakistan with a two-game test series. The first of these matches is scheduled to be played from September 28 at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi. Live telecast will begin at 10 AM local time each day of the match.
Pak vs SL 1st Test: Where to watch/Live streaming
TV channels: Sony Six, Ten Sports, Sky Sports
Live streaming: Bet365, Sony LIV
Toss Prediction
Four out of the five test matches that have produced results at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium have been won by the side that has batted first. So the toss is going to play a big role here and whichever team wins it will most probably elect to bat first. Pakistan have won the toss in their last five tests at this ground and we predict the flip of the coin to go their way once again.
Read on for team analysis, betting odds, betting tips and match prediction for Pak vs SL 1st Test....
Pakistan Team News & Playing 11
Team News
Mohammad Hafeez has been sidelined by the selectors who have picked specialist openers in Shaan Masood and Sami Aslam instead. Mohammad Aamir, who had earlier missed the T20I series against the World XI due to family reasons, has returned to bolster the team's bowling attack.
Key Players
Azhar Ali has a test average of 63.27 at this ground. He scored two centuries against the West Indies in Pakistan's last test series and the team will look to him to score the big runs here. Babar Azam and Sarfraz Ahmed are two other vital cogs in this batting lineup. Mohammad Amir will be threatening due to his ability to swing the new red ball both ways while Yasir Shah, who has 19 wickets from just three test matches at this ground, will come into play once the ball gets a little older.
Recent Form
Pakistan have lost seven of their last nine test matches which is enough to say how badly they have been performing in red-ball cricket of late. This year, they have lost two and won as many from four matches. Pakistan's last encounter was in the West Indies against the hosts which they won by 101 runs.
Pakistan Predicted Playing 11
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Sarfraz Ahmed (c/wk), Azhar Ali, Shan Masood, Sami Aslam, Babar Azam, Asad Shafiq, Mohammad Asghar, Mohammad Amir, Yasir Shah, Wahab Riaz, Hasan Ali
Sri Lanka Team News & Playing 11
Team News
Sri Lanka have suffered a big blow ahead of the first test as their ace allrounder Angelo Mathews will have to sit out because of a calf injury. Kusal Perera and Asela Gunaratne too won't take part in the series due to injuries. Kaushal Silva and Lahiru Thirimanne are back in the side.
Key Players
Sri Lanka's batting is going to depend mainly on the likes of Dinesh Chandimal, Dimuth Karunaratne and Niroshan Dickwella. Karunaratne was the leading run-getter for the team in the test series against India and he will be crucial at the top of the order. Fast bowler Nuwan Pradeep was the standout performer with the ball in that series and he will be backed by the skipper to provide the early breakthroughs. Rangana Herath has taken the most test wickets for Sri Lanka after the legendary Muralitharan and he is likely to cause problems for the Pakistani batsmen.
Recent Form
Sri Lanka, like Pakistan, have also recently struggled big time in the longest format of the game. They have played eight tests this year and have been able to win just two of those, and that too against the weaker teams Bangladesh and Zimbabwe at home. Not long ago, they were brushed aside on their own turf by India.
Sri Lanka Predicted Playing 11
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Dinesh Chandimal (c), Dimuth Karunaratne, Niroshan Dickwella (wk), Kusal Mendis, Dilruwan Perera, Lakshan Sandakan, Vishwa Fernando, Rangana Herath, Nuwan Pradeep, Lahiru Thirimanne, Kaushal Silva
Team Form in Last Five Matches (most recent first)
Pakistan: W L W L L
Sri Lanka: L L L W L
Pakistan vs Sri Lanka Head to Head
Pakistan have a slight upper hand when it comes to head-to-head count in test cricket. Out of the 51 matches, 19 have been won by the hosts and 14 by Sri Lanka with the rest all having ended in stalemates. The two sides have faced each other twice at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium with the result being a drawn game on both the occasions.
Pakistan vs Sri Lanka 1st Test Betting Odds
Pakistan begin as heavy favorites to win the first test match at short odds of 1.68 with 1xbet and 1.61 with Bet365. They have the advantage of playing in home-like conditions and they have won four of their last five tests in the UAE. Sri Lanka have been faring rather poorly in the longest format and they are big underdogs for this game at 5.3 with Betfair and 5 with Bet365. A draw is up at 4.6 and 4.2 respectively.
Pakistan vs Sri Lanka 1st Test Prediction
Pakistan and Sri Lanka have both won three times each in the previous six test encounters between them. The last time these two sides met in red-ball cricket was in July 2015 in Sri Lanka where Pakistan ended up victorious by seven wickets. The hosts will be the more confident side as they beat the West Indies in their most recently played test series while the visitors will still be reeling from the whitewash they suffered at the hands of India across all three formats. Sri Lanka will miss the services of some of their stalwarts like Mathews, Kusal Perera and Asela Gunaratne which is another reason why we're backing Pakistan to win this contest.
Final Verdict: Back Pakistan to beat Sri Lanka in the first test at 1.68 with 1xbet and 1.61 with Bet365.
Sep 28, 2017
11:30 IST / 6:00 GMT
Sheikh Zayed Stadium - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
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