Australia vs Sri Lanka 2019, 1st Test: Dream11 Fantasy Cricket Tips – Playing XI, Pitch Report & Injury Update

After losing the Test series to India for the first time in India in 71 years, Australia are all set to lock horns against the struggling Sri Lanka who are yet to win a game across any format in 2019. The first of the two-match series will be played under lights at the Gabba. The home side has made a lot of changes to their line-up after losing their previous series and are expected to make amends before ending a long summer.

Australia have cleared that they will be handing Test debuts for Kurtis Patterson and Jhye Richardson who replaced Josh Hazlewood who was ruled out to back injury. Mitchell Starc came under the scanner severely for poor show against India and will be itching to make it count this time around. Sri Lanka will miss their most experienced player Angelo Mathews in this series though Dinesh Chandimal is confident that the batsmen will score runs on this tour.

Match Details:

The first game of the 2-match Test series between Australia and Sri Lanka will be hosted by The Gabba in Brisbane.

The match starts at 1:00 PM local time (3:00 AM GMT) (8:30 AM IST).

The game will be live on Sony Network in India. (Live streaming in Sony LIV)

Last five Test matches:

Australia: D, L, W, L, L.

Sri Lanka: L, D, L, L, L.

Pitch Condition/Report:

The Gabba pitch will have pace and bounce throughout all five days. The batsman are expected to find ease with the bat if they used to facing the bounce. The last session on all days will be crucial for the pacers as the game will be a D/N and played with the pink ball. Extensive movement could be found during this period of play.

Probable Playing XI:

Australia (announced)

Marcus Harris, Joe Burns, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Travis Head, Kurtis Patterson, Tim Paine (C & WK), Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Jhye Richardson, Nathan Lyon.

Bench – Will Pucovski, Matt Renshaw, Peter Siddle.

Note: Cricket Australia announced the playing XI ahead of the Test.

Sri Lanka:

Dimuth Karunaratne, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dinesh Chandimal (C), Kusal Mendis, Roshen Silva, Niroshan Dickwella (WK), Dilruwan Perera, Suranga Lakmal, Lahiru Kumara, Kasun Rajitha.

Bench – Lahiru Thirimanne, Kusal Perera, Dushmantha Chameera, Lakshan Sandakan.

Note: Sri Lanka would pick Dhananjaya ahead of Thirimanne as it will give them an extra bowling option.

Power Picks:

Jhye Richardson has 49 wickets in only 11 first-class matches. He has bagged two five-fers including a career best of 8/47 so far. Richardson likes the pace and bounce off the pitch. He will be posing the main threat for the Sri Lankan batsmen.

Captain and Vice-Captain Selection:

Sri Lanka isn’t known to have the menacing pace attack like India which will give a breathing space to Usman Khawaja and he will be the ideal option captain. Dimuth Karunaratne was the best opener in Tests last year and is definitely the best candidate for the captain. Pat Cummins can also make a difference.

Dilruwan Perera’s ability to bat qualifies him for vice-captain while Kusal Mendis and Travis Head are the options. Jhye Richardson and Marcus Harris could turn out to be surprise picks in this aspect.

Suggested Playing XI No.1 for Head to Head/Small Leagues:

Keeper – Tim Paine

Batters – Usman Khawaja (C), Travis Head, Marcus Harris, Dimuth Karunaratne, Kusal Mendis

All-Rounders – Pat Cummins (VC), Dilruwan Perera

Bowlers – Jhye Richardson, Nathan Lyon, Suranga Lakmal.

Suggested Playing XI No.2 for Fantasy Cricket:

Keeper – Niroshan Dickwella

Batters – Joe Burns, Travis Head, Dinesh Chandimal, Kusal Mendis (VC), Kurtis Patterson

All-Rounders – Pat Cummins, Dilruwan Perera

Bowlers – Nathan Lyon, Lahiru Kumara, Jhye Richardson (C).

Expert Advice:

Mitchell Starc’s line and lengths have been poor recently in Test cricket. Ignoring him and picking Cummins and Richardson will be a better option going into the Test.

Probable Winners:

Australia have a lot of experience playing with the pink ball and they are expected to take a 1-0 lead. Though looking at their recent record, Sri Lanka might give them a tough fight.

*Disclaimer: This team is based on the understanding, analysis and instinct of the author. While selecting your team, consider the points mentioned and make your own decision.

Get the latest Cricket News and updates from Australia vs Sri Lanka series, Match Predictions, Fantasy Cricket Tips and lots more on CricTracker.com.