Legendary spinner Rangana Herath will be playing his last Test when Sri Lanka face England in the first game starting on Tuesday, November 6, 2018, at the Galle International Cricket Stadium in Galle. So far on this tour, England have won the ODI series 3-1, and then went on win the only T20I in Colombo on October 27.
Live updates:
England 41/2
England won the toss and elected to bat
The first day's play will start at 10:00 AM Local, 4:30 AM GMT.
Rangana Herath bids farewell
40-year-old Herath has featured in 92 Tests for Sri Lanka and picked up 430 wickets.
He is the second-highest wicket taker in Tests for Sri Lanka, only behind Muttiah Muralitharan. No left-arm bowler has more Test wickets than him, be it the pacers or the spinners. Interestingly, Herath made his Test debut against Australia in 1999 at this very venue.
TV and Online streaming details
🎧 PODCAST 🎧
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) November 5, 2018
Listen here 👉 https://t.co/mailLMlOeG
.@RobKey612 & @NasserCricket may have gone home - but @AthersMike & @BumbleCricket are now in Sri Lanka
They join @WardyShorts & Vic Marks to talk England v Sri Lanka, the brilliance of REM, 'elite honesty' & jet lag! pic.twitter.com/lX7W2mZXZW
Sky Sports will broadcast the Test series in the United Kingdom, while SkyGo app and website will provide the online streaming for its subscribers.
SonyLiv will also stream the matches live on its app and website in the Indian subcontinent. MTV channel will telecast the Test series live in Sri Lanka.
Johnny Bairstow ruled out
Johnny Bairstow has been ruled out of the first Test having failed to recover from an injury in time. According to ESPN Cricinfo, coach Trevor Bayliss said that either Ben Foakes or Jos Butler will keep wickets in this Test.
He also hinted that Stuart Board may not in the XI as the conditions don't suit the seamers.
This means that England will play James Anderson as their only genuine seamer. England also needs to select a no.3, as captain Joe Root is expected to bat no.4. Joe Denly would be the most likely candidate as he can also provide them with an extra spin bowling option.
Three spinners for England - Ali, Rashid and Leach - with Stokes, Curran and Anderson providing the seam.
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) November 6, 2018
Mathews returns for Sri Lanka in Herath's final Test.
Watch live on Sky Sports Cricket: https://t.co/zpMCditPCe
Over-by-over-blog: https://t.co/esUdXSxJzj pic.twitter.com/Ijig4n5XGi
Spin-friendly conditions expected in Galle
Test cricket has been the only format where the Lankans have found some success in recent times. They are coming off a 2-0 series win at home against South Africa. Captain Dinesh Chandimal will return to the side after missing the South Africa series due to his ban.
Angelo Matthews will also return to the national side after getting dropped from the ODI squad which faced England.
Sri Lanka will once again pack their XI with ample spin bowling options like they did in the South Africa series.
England's batsmen must "create some chaos" to avoid being humbled by Sri Lanka's spinners, says Graham Thorpe, in a batting demo for Sky Sports.
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) November 5, 2018
WATCH HERE 👉 https://t.co/9HDcWz9WtQ
Catch every ball of England's Test series live on Sky Sports Cricket from 4am on Tuesday. pic.twitter.com/hBOuN3E23R
The Galle pitch has been famous for suiting the spinners and that case won't be different in this game as well. Batsmen will struggle to find their rhythm with the ball turning square. The weather forecast isn't delightful as heavy rains are expected during the course of this game.
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Also read: Pakistan vs New Zealand 3rd Twenty20 online stream on PTV Sports at 9 PM PST
