South Africa vs Sri Lanka – First Test: Karunaratne wins toss and bats

South Africa vs Sri Lanka: Skipper Dimuth Karunaratne won the toss for the visitors and elected to bat first on a good surface at SuperSport Park.

South Africa vs Sri Lanka – First Test

Sri Lanka come into the first Test having won their last four in the format against the Proteas. The tourists last played international cricket in March and like the Proteas haven’t played Test cricket for some time.

Both sides have top-order concerns which have been a longstanding issue keeping them in the middle of the road as far as ICC Rankings are concerned.

Sri Lanka have arrived with their pace stocks overflowing for once and skipper Dimuth Karunaratne was confident his pacemen could match the Proteas ahead of the match.

Kusal Perera and Karunartne will front up the Sri Lankan challenge against the new ball with much expected from Kusal Mendia and Dinesh Chandimal who follow.

The Proteas have brought Wiaan Mulder back in to start the first Test of the summer after a 2019/20 season ruined by injury. Lungi Ngidi has passed fit and joins a pace attack that includes Anrich Nortje and young Lutho Sipamla.

Spinner Wanindu Hasaranga debuts for Sri Lanka with left-arm tweaker Lasith Embuldeniya missing through injury.

Ahead of the action in the South Africa vs Sri Lanka 1st Test the players will make a gesture of solidarity with anti-racism movements in the form of a raised fist.

South Africa vs Sri Lanka starting XIS

Sri Lanka

1 Dimuth Karunaratne, 2 Kusal Perera, 3 Kusal Mendis, 4 Dinesh Chandimal, 5 Dhananjaya de Silva, 6 Niroshan Dickwella (wk), 7 Dasun Shanaka, 8 Wanindu Hasaranga, 9 Lahiru Kumara, 10 Vishwa Fernando, 11 Kasun Rajitha

South Africa

1 Aiden Markram, 2 Dean Elgar, 3 Rassie van der Dussen, 4 Faf du Plessis, 5 Temba Bavuma, 6 Quinton de Kock (capt. & wk), 7 Wiaan Mulder, 8 Anrich Nortje, 9 Keshav Maharaj, 10 Lutho Sipamla, 11 Lungi Ngidi