South Africa vs Sri Lanka Match Preview, 1st Test

South Africa Team. (Photo Source: TANVIN TAMIM/AFP via Getty Images)

Hosts South Africa (SA) and visitors Sri Lanka (SL) will clash in the first Test of the series, at the Kingsmead in Durban, starting on Wednesday, November 27, and it will carry through till December 1. South Africa are coming into the game after whitewashing Bangladesh at their home in the Test series. South Africa need to win their remaining four Tests to hope for a World Test Championship finals berth. 

On the other hand, Sri Lanka too are sailing on the same boat to see themselves in the final of the WTC 2025 (World Test Championship). It is worth noting that, South Africa skipper, Temba Bavuma is back in the squad after recuperating from an elbow injury. Lungi Ngidi and Nandre Burger have been left out of the squad due to injuries.

Match Details

Pitch Report

The Kingsmead pitch offers ample assistance to the pacers with lateral movement and significant bounce. Once the smaller cracks are formed after days of play, the variable bounce will come to haunt the batters. On the weather front, the forecast predicts a 100 percent prediction. Hence chances of rain make the possibilities of a full day’s play quite grim.

SA vs SL Probable Predicted XIs

South Africa:

Temba Bavuma’s comeback will be a welcome change for South Africa. Moreover, to fill in for Lungi Ngidi and Nandre Burger, Marco Jansen and Gerald Coetzee will don the whites for the Proteas.

Predicted XI: Aiden Markram, Tony de Zorzi, Tristan Stubbs, Temba Bavuma (c), David Bedingham, Kyle Verreynne (wk), Marco Jansen, Wiaan Mulder, Gerald Coetzee, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada.

Sri Lanka:

Sri Lanka will depend highly on the likes of Pathum Nissanka and Dimuth Karunaratne to make sure the run-making aspect is taken care of. Oshada Fernando, who has not played for Sri Lanka since one year is also been called up and it is unlikely that he will make it to the playing XI.

Predicted XI: Dimuth Karuanaratne, Pathum Nissanka, Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews, Kamindu Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva (c), Kusal Mendis (wk), Milan Rathnayake, Prabath Jayasuriya, Asitha Fernando, Vishwa Fernando.