West Indies vs Sri Lanka 1st Test Prediction & Betting Tips
West Indies return to Test cricket with new permanent captain Kraigg Brathwaite in charge of their first Test match at home since August 2019. They welcome Sri Lanka, who have won only one of their last six Tests, to Antigua. Read as we preview the first of two Tests between West Indies and Sri Lanka. The match will be played at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium and will get underway at 10:00 local time.
Prior to the Bangladesh series victory, West Indies had lost four successive Tests against England and New Zealand, they also lost their last Test series on home soil, 2-0 against India in August 2019. In fact, if you look at West Indies last three Tests at home, they have lost heavily on each occasion: by 257 and 318 runs against India; and by 232 runs against England. However, they have the wood over Sri Lanka on this tour, winning the T20i series 2-1 and securing a 3-0 clean sweep in the ODI format.
Sri Lanka lost their most recent Test series 2-0 at home against England in spin-friendly conditions and will be keen to return from this tour without losing the final leg. Lasith Embuldeniya and Suranga Lakmal will carry the biggest threat with the ball against a West Indies side who aren’t impenetrable.
WI vs SL Live Streaming
The match can be watched live on BT Sports in the UK. In Sri Lanka you can follow the game live on GTV. Across India and the rest of Asia the series will be shown on the Star Sports Network and on Fox Sports in Australia.
Live Streaming: Fans in India can stream the match on the Star Sports Hotstar app.
WI vs SL Toss Prediction
Kraigg Brathwaite won the toss in his only home Test as skipper previously and elected to field. Whenever a West Indies captain has won the toss at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, they have chosen to field first.
Pitch Report
Expect a surface which will be conducive for the West Indies pace bowlers early on. It will deteriorate as the game progresses, creating opportunities for Embuldeniya and Rahkeem Cornwall.
Weather Report
It will be hot and sunny in Antigua with highs of 28 degrees throughout the five scheduled days.
Read on for team previews, betting tips, latest odds and match prediction for West Indies vs Sri Lanka 1st Test
West Indies Team News & Playing 11
WI Team News
West Indies announced a 13 man squad with senior players Jason Holder and Darren Bravo returning after missing the trip to Bangladesh. There will be no debutants but it will be interesting to see how former captain Holder gets on now he is back in the ranks with the other players.
WI Key Players
- Kyle Mayers - the man who announced himself at Test level with a 40 in the first innings before becoming the first debutant to make a double hundred in the fourth innings. He was brought back to earth with scores of 5 and 6 in Dhaka, but it will be very interesting to see where he slots into the full strength West Indies team.
- Jason Holder - within 24 hours of being relieved of the Test captaincy, Holder was back playing for West Indies in the ODI series against Sri Lanka. Those in the Caribbean will be hoping he can take his game to another level without the pressures of captaincy. He is a serious Test all-rounder with a best of 202* with the bat against England and bowling figures of 11-103 against Bangladesh.
- Kemar Roach - with 205 Test wickets, Roach sits in eighth place on the all-time West Indies list of Test wicket takers. However, he hasn’t been quite as penetrating in recent Tests so will be pleased to be returning to the home tracks where he had success in 2019 against England and India
WI Team Form
West Indies recent form at home in Tests is ugly with three successive big defeats. However, go back a couple more weeks and they beat England in the Test series at the beginning of 2019. Coming off the back of the win in Bangladesh, a new captain, and success in the white ball games, West Indies will be buoyant.
West Indies Predicted Playing 11
Kraigg Brathwaite (c) , John Campbell, Darren Bravo, Kyle Mayers, Jermaine Blackwood, Joshua Da Silva (wk), Jason Holder, Rahkeem Cornwall, Alzarri Joseph, Kemar Roach, Shannon Gabriel
Sri Lanka Team News & Playing 11
SL Team News
Sri Lanka drew their last Test tour of the Caribbean, the three game series ending 1-1 in 2018. Since then they have lost Test series in New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and Pakistan but have won series in South Africa and Zimbabwe in this format.
SL Key Players
- Dimuth Karunaratne - captain and opening batsman, Karunaratne is the rock at the top of the order for Sri Lanka. He made a second innings 103 against South Africa in his last Test match appearance.
- Dinesh Chandimal - after making his Test debut in 2011, Chandimal has bags of experience at the top level. He has 11 Test centuries to his name and a Test batting average above 40. Sri Lanka need him and Karunaratne to perform if they are to post big totals and give themselves a chance of winning the final series of the tour.
- Lasith Embuldeniya - still a relative novice at Test level, Embuldeniya has played only 9 Tests since being handed his debut in their famous victory over South Africa in 2019. He already has 45 Test wickets and his left arm spin caused plenty of problems to England’s batsmen in the Test series earlier in the year.
SL Team Form
It’s been a miserable tour of the Caribbean for Sri Lanka so far, winning only one game and losing the other five. The start of the Test series gives them a chance to reset and show that they are a far better cricketing country than we have seen so far.
Sri Lanka Predicted Playing 11
Dimuth Karunaratne (c) , Lahiru Thirimanne, Oshada Fernando, Dinesh Chandimal, Dhananjaya Da Silva, Niroshan Dickwella (wk) Ramesh Mendis, Wanindu Hasaranga, Suranga Lakmal, Lasith Embluldeniyam Asitha Fernando
West Indies vs Sri Lanka Head to Head
Sri Lanka have the historical lead over West Indies who have never beaten Sri Lanka in back to back Tests
WI vs SL Head to Head Stats in Tests
| Matches Played |
WI Won |
SL Won |
Draw |
No Result |
| 20 |
4 |
9 |
7 |
0 |
West Indies vs Sri Lanka Betting Odds
The home team starts the first Test as firm favourites.
Who will win West Indies vs Sri Lanka?
Sri Lanka’s form so far on this tour has not impressed the viewing public or the bookmakers.
West Indies vs Sri Lanka Betting Rate
🏆 West Indies vs Sri Lanka Prediction
Sri Lanka have been well beaten on four occasions on this tour already with the solitary victory in the second T20I. They certainly have the players to provide better returns but it remains to be seen whether they have the appetite to turn things around. There are plenty of sub-plots to keep an eye on during the Test which promises to be entertaining. We back West Indies to carry on their form from the Bangladesh tour and take a 1-0 lead.
Mar 21 - Mar 26, 2021
19:30 IST / 14:00 GMT
Sir Vivian Richards Stadium - Antigua, Antigua And Barbuda
Wi win
West indes win the match