Last Updated on 4 years by Charbel Coorey

SA vs SL 1st Test Preview Dream11 Possible Playing 11 Pitch Report | SA vs SL 1st Test Dream11 Prediction Today | South Africa vs Sri Lanka 1st Test Key Players | Supersport Park Centurion Pitch Report

There was a dark cloud looming over this Test series after Cricket South Africa saw a series of mishaps. After the limited over series against England got postponed, another domestic match got abandoned after five players were tested positive for the coronavirus. However, with this series being a part of the World Test Championship, the two boards involved agreed to continue with the series.

Sri Lanka became the first team from the sub-continent to win a Test Series in South Africa when they toured last. It will be interesting to see if they can replicate the success again with a more experienced Batting line-up and Mickey Arthur as a coach who knows South African conditions quite well.

However, South Africa has got players in red hot form and, they will look to end the year on a high after losing the Test series against England 3-1.

Key Players to Watch/Key Stats

South Africa

• Quinton de Kock will be playing his first Test match as South Africa Test Captain and will be looking forward to improving his numbers after losing all three T20Is against England. In his last series against Srilanka at Home, he scored 223 runs that included three half-centuries. He also loves playing at Supersport Park and scored 474 runs at an average of 67.71.
• Faf Du Plessis looks all set to play his new role with the South African side after giving up on his captaincy duties. The former captain likes playing against the Srilankan side and has scored 667 runs in 9 matches, both home and away. However, he only averages 29.82 at Supersport Park, and with the form of late he has shown in the last few months in the IPL, we can expect him to get into Test mode and get a win for the home side.
• Aiden Markram is eyeing a spot in the South African side after missing out on his previous opportunities. The Right Hander has shown why he is rated so highly in the South African domestic circuit by scoring 458 runs (75, 113, 149, 121) in his four recent innings in the recently concluded domestic four-day competition.
• Anrich Nortje is the all new pace sensation from South Africa who will be looking to make a mark in the series in the absence of Kagiso Rabada. He has taken 19 wickets from 6 matches and would like to continue his red hot form.
• Lungi Ngidi looked out of form in the T20Is against England but he has 15 wickets in the five test matches he has played so he would like to be at his best.

Sri Lanka

• Kusal Perera was the star for Sri Lanka when they toured here last and adjudged Man of the series for his heroics. Due to injuries, he has missed most Test matches since then and would be looking to put another spectacular performance in this series. 
• Dimuth Karunaratne: Sri Lankan Captain has a healthy average of 43.85 and has scored 570 runs in 7 matches, both home and away. The record shows Srilankan batsmen have struggled at Supersports park, so the onus will be on the captain to score some big runs and lead the team from the front.
• Wanindu Hasaranga has always shown glimpses of what he can do at the International stage in the few white-ball games he has played. He was also brilliant in the recently concluded Lanka premier league. With South Africa’s recent struggle against quality spin, Wanindu Hasaranga will play a huge for Sri Lanka in his debut series.
• Vishwa Fernando is one of the most under-rated Sri Lankan bowlers in this format of the game. He picked up 12 wickets and played a crucial role in the series win in February 2019.

Stats and Facts

• Playing at Home, South Africa is the favorite to win the series. However, they won’t be taking Sri Lanka lightly as he has lost their four Test matches against them.
• In the ICC Men’s Test Ranking, Sri Lanka is placed at the fifth position while the host is at the sixth position.
• Sri Lanka has never won a Test match at Centurion.

Possible Playing 11

South Africa

Glenton Stuurrman expected to make his debut in place of Kagiso Rabada, who is out due to a groin injury. However, some reports suggest Glenton has got a niggle as well, but the team management expects him to be fit for the first test.

Possible 11: 1 Aiden Markram, 2 Dean Elgar, 3 Rassie van der Dussen, 4 Faf du Plessis, 5 Temba Bavuma, 6 Quinton de Kock (c & wk), 7 Dwaine Pretorius, 8 Anrich Nortje, 9 Keshav Maharaj, 10 Glenton Stuurman, 11 Lungi Ngidi

Sri Lanka

Wanindu Hasaranaga is a chance of making his debut while Dasun Shanaka will come in place of Oshada Fernando.

Possible 11: 1. Dimuth Karunaratne (c), 2. Kusal Perera, 3. Kusal Mendis, 4. Dinesh Chandimal, 5. Dhananjaya de Silva, 6. Dasun Shanaka, 7. Niroshan Dickwella (wk), 8. Suranga Lakmal/Kasun Rajitha, 9. Lasith Embuldeniya, 10. Vishwa Fernando, 11. Lahiru Kumara

Supersport Park Centurion Pitch Report & Weather conditions

Supersport Park is usually the first bat pitch and offers assistance to the spinners as the match progresses.

The weather will be favorable for all days, as rain is not expected, in Centurion until 30th Dec.

Dream11 Prediction

Option 1:

Option 2:

Match Prediction

Sri Lanka will be going into this match without much practice, and with the home conditions, South Africa is the favorite to win.

Thanks for Reading!

Written by Shekhar Singh. Follow Shekhar on Twitter today.