LKA vs PAK 1st Test Day 1 match prediction 16 Jul 2022

SL vs PAK 1st Test Day 1 Predictions & Betting Tips

Sri Lanka will host Pakistan in a two match Test series the 1st of which commences on Saturday, July 16 as a part of Pakistan’s tour of Sri Lanka 2022. The 1st Test will be played at the Galle International Stadium. Well ahead of Day 1 of the Test, I have handpicked the top betting tips from the SL vs PAK head-to-head encounter.

Who would have thought that Sri Lanka would be arriving here after defeating Australia in the second and the final Test by an innings and 39 runs?, probably no one. Amidst all the political and financial chaos the country is at the moment, Sri Lanka had one of the great days as they levelled the two match Test series against Australia at this same venue. At first, Dinesh Chandimal’s double century carried them to a huge lead which was followed by Prabath Jayasuriya’s 12 wicket haul in his Test debut which earned the Lankans a victory with a fourth evening to spare. Pakistan on the contrary are joining this fixture after losing the three match Test series by 1-0 against the Aussies. It was Nathan Lyon’s five wicket haul late on Day 5 which earned them a 115 run victory in the series decider. The two sides, SRI & PAK have two wins apiece if we have a look at their last five head-to-head clashes. While we wait in anticipation for the match to kickstart, let us take a look at the top lucrative team & player betting tips from the SL vs PAK 1st Test Day 1 head-to-head clash.

SL vs PAK Day 1 Team Bet:

Mentioned below is the top team betting tip from the SL vs PAK Day 1 match prediction.

Pakistan to have the highest opening partnership

Pakistani openers Abdullah Shafique and Imam Ul-Haque have done well in the past few Test series and a good start would be expected from the duo. In the last five Test matches, Pakistan managed to post opening partnerships of 20, 77, 26, 2, 105, 252*, 59, 146 & 151 runs in 9 innings. This summaries to 838 runs at an phenomenal average of 93.11 which is certainly above our target. Speaking about hosts, Sri Lanka their opening partnership hasn’t produced the results they would have hoped for. In the last five Tests, the duo of Pathum Nissanka and Dimuth Karunaratne only managed to post scores of 12, 38, 37, 95, 29*, 23, 36, 2 & 0 runs for the first wicket. This totals to 272 runs from 9 innings which takes their average to 30.22 per innings. Sri Lanka shuffled from the duo of Oshanda Fernando and Lahiru Thirimanne to Pathum Nissanka and Dimuth Karunaratne but still things did not change. In the last five head-to-head meetings between the two sides, Pakistan accumulated 507 runs from 9 innings which took their average to 56.33 runs for the first wicket. While Sri Lanka only managed to gather 310 runs from 9 innings at an average of 34.44. Pakistan have had the better of Sri Lanka in both the parameters and therefore we have sided with them for this game. 1XBET has offered odds of 1.91 in Pakistan’s favour to have the highest opening partnership from the SL vs PAK head-to-head encounter.

SL vs PAK Day 1 Player Bets:

Babar Azam and Dinesh Chandimal are my top two player betting tips from the SL vs PAK Day 1 match prediction. I am certain that the above mentioned players are going to get you some assured payback.

Babar Azam to score impeccably

The right-handed batsman, Babar Azam seems to be in a league of his own piling up runs in all the three formats of the game. For several years now, Virat, Smith, Kane and Root had been headlining the ‘fab 4’ of batting but the young Pakistani skipper has raised hand for a place in the elite list courtesy of some consistent batting performances recently. The 27-year-old is currently the No.1 batter in ODI, T20I and ranks fourth in the longest format of the game. In the three match Test series against Australia at home, Babar Azam struck 350 runs from five innings at an average of 78.00. This includes a hundred and two fifties. He finished being the second highest run-getter for his side in the Benaud-Qadir Trophy. The Lahore born cricketer has been a vital cog for Pakistan across all formats and has hammered 769 runs in the last 10 Tests at an average of about 51.27. His scores in the last five Tests read 55, 67, 196, 36, 36, 76, 13* & 10. Since making his Test debut against WI back in 2016, Babar has featured in almost 40 Tests and has amassed 2851 runs at an average of 45.98. Furthermore, he has played four Tests against SL in this short period wherein he has racked up 301 runs at an average of 60.20. While batting away from home, Babar averages close to 37.02. The numbers clearly weigh in favour of this betting tip, thus making it a strong and a reliable one for this game. To capitalise on this, scoot over to 1XBET and place your bet on him from the SL vs PAK Day 1 match prediction.

Dinesh Chandimal to score over 26.5 runs

Dinesh Chandimal’s heroics in the series decider paved the way for a memorable win for Sri Lanka over Australia at Galle, eventually levelling the series by 1-1. The 32-year-old hailing from Balapitiya has been one of the mainstays for Sri Lanka in the past few years and has performed consistently for them. With his career best knock of 206*, Chandimal finished being the second highest run-getter for his side in the bilateral Test series. Prior to this, Sri Lanka toured Bangladesh to play a two match Test series wherein Chandimal hammered 229 runs at an average of about 114.50. He finished being the second highest run-getter in that series for SL. Since making his Test debut back in 2011 against SA, the right-handed batter has gone on to feature in almost 68 Tests wherein he has accumulated 4665 runs at an phenomenal average of 42.02. If these numbers do not excite you I am certain that the following surely will. Chandimal has played 15 matches at the Galle International Stadium and has mustered 1108 runs at an average of 50.36 which includes four centuries as well. He has played 11 matches against them wherein he has struck 653 runs at an average of 36.27. His last five scores in Tests read 206*, 0, 13, 124, 66, 39*, 2, 2. He is having a fantastic year thus far scoring 448 runs from four matches at an average of 52.70. The stats clearly work in favour of this betting tip, thus making it a strong and a reliable one for this game. If you feel the same, log on to 1XBET and place your bet on him whenever the odds are made available on the website.

My Picks:

Pakistan to have the highest opening partnership @ 1.91 (1XBET)

Babar Azam to score impeccably

Dinesh Chandimal to score over 26.5 runs @ 1.70 (1XBET)