Sri Lanka will be facing Australia in the second and final Test match at the Galle International Stadium starting Friday, July 8. This is a must-win encounter for the hosts after having suffered a humiliating 10-wicket loss in the opening game last week. Meanwhile, COVID-19 cases have put the Lankan camp in a spot of bother.

After spinner Praveen Jayawickrama tested positive for COVID-19, three more players from the Sri Lankan camp are down asf batter Dhananjaya de Silva, pacer Asitha Fernando, and leggie Jeffrey Vandersay have also tested positive, which means that the Lankan team management has no choice other than making some forced changes.

Australia, on the other hand, showcased a far superior performance on a spin-friendly surface with both the bat and ball and completely outplayed the opposition to take a 1-0 lead in the series. A victory or even a draw here would ensure that the Pat Cummins-led side would register a second straight Test series win in the sub-continent. They had got the better of Pakistan 1-0 in the three-match Test series in March.

Pitch and conditions
In the first Test, many experts reckoned that the pitch was heavily in favour of the spinners, which was proven right with senior Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon doing the bulk of the damage, registering nine wickets including a fifer in the first innings. Things might be no different this time around and yet again a turning track can be expected. Therefore, the captain winning the toss will look to bat first.

Playing Combinations for SL vs AUS
Sri Lanka

With forced changes due to four players testing COVID-19 positive, Sri Lanka would be relying on some of their emerging talents to come out with memorable performances with the series on the line. However, the hosts will also be relieved that senior all-rounder Angelo Mathews, who missed the first game after testing positive for coronavirus, is available for selection.

Predicted .