Sri Lanka begin their WTC25 campaign in Galle tomorrow 

Pakistan takes on Sri Lanka in Galle in their first Test of the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25 cycle from July 16.

Sri Lanka return to Galle, where they have played each of their last eight home Tests. The hosts have met Ireland, Pakistan, Australia, and West Indies at the venue since November 2021, winning six of the eight Tests. 

Of the two losses at the venue, one came against Pakistan last year. In the first Test of the series then, Pakistan incredibly chased down 342 in the final innings, the highest successful run-chase at the venue.

It's very likely that Pakistan still remembers that Test victory well, for it was their last win in Tests. Since then, the team has had a major setback, losing four of their last six encounters, with the other two being drawn.

The team is bolstered by the return of Shaheen Shah Afridi, whose last Test was this victory at Galle in 2022. 

The pace attack gets an instant boost with Shaheen spearheading a group that also has Naseem Shah and Hasan Ali.

However, it is unlikely that all three would feature on a turning wicket. The spin department has mystery-spinner Abrar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, and Noman Ali.

Sri Lanka, meanwhile, is wealthy in that unit with newbie Lakshitha Manasinghe joined by the likes of Prabath Jayasuriya, Praveen Jayawickrama, Ramesh Mendis, and Kamindu Mendis.

Dimuth Karunaratne is recovering from a hamstring injury that saw him miss the final of the 2023 ICC Men's Cricket World Cup Qualifier against the Netherlands.

The opener is due to a fitness test before the start of the Test, according to reports. Dhananjaya de Silva is the vice-captain. 

World Test Championship cycle 
Sri Lanka's only Asian opponent at home in this World Test Championship cycle is Pakistan. As such, a win against them would be a significant one for Sri Lanka as they get to face non-Asian teams (Australia and New Zealand) at home, where their chances of a win are higher than when playing these teams away from home. 

Given that they have two tough overseas tours (South Africa and England) in this cycle, Sri Lanka will want as many points as they can gather at home.

Series schedule
1st Test: July 16-20, Galle

2nd Test: July 24-28, Colombo

Squads
Pakistan: Babar Azam (captain), Mohammad Rizwan, Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Afridi, Shan Masood

Sri Lanka: Dimuth Karunaratne (captain), Nishan Madushka, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Matthews, Dinesh Chandimal, Dhananjaya de Silva, Pathum Nissanka, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Kamindu Mendis, Ramesh Mendis, Prabath Jayasuriya, Praveen Jayawickrama, Kasun Rajitha, Dilshan Madushanka, Vishwa Fernando, Lakshitha Manasinghe