Sri Lanka wins the toss and elects to field in the 1st test against South Africa

DURBAN, South Africa (AP) — Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to field in the first cricket test against South Africa on Wednesday.

South Africa had already announced its playing XI on the eve of the test and there were no late changes. Sri Lanka, meanwhile, went with three fast bowlers in Asitha Fernando, Vishwa Fernando and Lahiru Kumara with the lone spinner in Prabath Jayasuriya.

Sri Lanka is third on the World Test Championship table and South Africa is fourth. They trail Australia, India and New Zealand.

Previous results in South Africa and particularly at Durban will give Sri Lanka some confidence.

Sri Lanka is the only Asian team to have beaten South Africa at home in a series, in 2019. Seven players in the current squad played roles in that 2-0 sweep. And in Durban, Sri Lanka has won all three tests it has played at Kingsmead.

South Africa is coming off away series wins over West Indies and Bangladesh.

The second test begins on Dec. 5 at Port Elizabeth, now known as Gqeberha.

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Lineups:

South Africa: Aiden Markram, Tony de Zorzi, Tristan Stubbs, Temba Bavuma (captain), David Bedingham, Kyle Verreynne, Marco Jansen, Wiaan Mulder, Gerald Coetzee, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada

Sri Lanka: Dimuth Karunaratne, Pathum Nissanka, Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews, Kamindu Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva (captain), Kusal Mendis, Prabath Jayasuriya, Lahiru Kumara, Asitha Fernando, Vishwa Fernando

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AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket