Sri Lanka vs. Pakistan, 1st Test: Date, Time, Live Stream, TV Info, Preview

Sri Lanka and Pakistan begin their three-match Test series on Wednesday. The tour match was a draw, but it provided some invaluable practice for the visiting team.

Date: Wed., Jun. 17 — Sun., Jun. 21

Time: 10 a.m. local (04:30 a.m. GMT)

Venue: Galle International Stadium

Live stream and TV info: Ten Cricket and PTV Sports (Pakistan), Rupavahini Corporation (Sri Lanka)

Weather: According to Weather.com, the forecast is grim. It's monsoon season in the subcontinent, and thunderstorms are forecast for every day of the Test. These storms are likely to settle in the afternoon, so it might not be all doom and gloom.

Overview

Sri Lanka and Pakistan find themselves in remarkably similar positions. Both teams are going through a transition phase, with selectors keeping a beady eye on the young talent that’s coming through.

But both sides also have the reliability and experience of two old-timers watching on, guiding the youngsters through the motions. Younis Khan and Kumar Sangakkara have seen and done it all, and it is up to them to help lead their teams into the new eras.

Perhaps the fact that there is little hostility surrounding the fixture will help. The two sides have become familiar with each other over the last few years, having played an annual Test series since 2011. Sri Lanka hold the upper hand, having won two series, drawn the other and lost just once, back in 2011.   

As far as “Test-readiness” goes, Pakistan have the slight upper hand. Sri Lanka have not played a Test series since the start of the year. Pakistan are fresh off a series against Bangladesh. Although some might argue that Bangladesh hardly present a challenge, it’s getting into the motion of things that makes a difference.

Sri Lanka do have the home-ground advantage, though. They also have the luxury of knowing that they have one of their best spinners, Rangana Herath, at their disposal. On turning pitches, which will have plenty in it for the batsmen, this is a huge advantage.

Pakistan aren’t so lucky. Saeed Ajmal is not part of the squad, and Sri Lanka’s coach Marvan Atapattu believes this will be a massive psychological advantage. ESPN Cricinfo quoted him as saying:

"

The major change that I see in this Pakistan side is that Saeed Ajmal is not there. He has been their main weapon and it's somewhat unfortunate that things have fallen that way. Teams have to face such situations.

It's a psychological thing when you know that Ajmal at his peak made not only the Sri Lankans but a lot of batsmen think,. He gave a lot of them sleepless nights. Now that he is not there it's a psychological advantage to us.

"

Advantage or not, Sri Lanka will still be expected to put in the hard graft in order to get a positive result.

Key players

Sri Lanka

Kumar Sangakkara is winding down his career, but his experience and skill remain invaluable and crucial whenever Sri Lanka play. He will play a key role with the bat, for sure, but it's his knowledge and insight that will be most important in this Test series.

Pakistan

Much of this series will center around Sangakkara and Younis Khan. Like Sangakkara, Khan is evergreen, and his experience is worth its weight in gold.

Squads

Sri Lanka

Kusal Perera, Rangana Herath, Dilruwan Perera, Dhammika Prasad, Nuwan Pradeep, T Kaushal, Jehan Mubarak, Kithuruwan Vithanage, Dinesh Chandimal, Kumar Sangakkara, Dimuth Karunaratne, Angelo Mathews, Lahiru Thirimanne, Kaushal Silva, Dushmantha Chameera

Pakistan

Junaid Khan, Ehsan Adil, Imran Khan, Wahab Riaz, Zulfiqar Babar, Yasir Shah, Sarfraz Ahmed, Haris Sohail, Asad Shafiq, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq, Azhar Ali, Shan Masood, Ahmed Shehzad, Mohammad Hafeez