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West Indies vs Sri Lanka 1st Test Betting Tips - West Indies backed at home in opening Test

ralph-staniforth
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Last updated: Thu 25 Jun 2026 00:02
The upcoming 1st Test between West Indies and Sri Lanka sees two out-of-form sides hoping for a turnaround. West Indies, despite recent struggles, have home advantage and several in-form players like Shai Hope, Justin Greaves, and Shamar Joseph. Sri Lanka, however, boasts a 3-0 lead in the last five Tests against the Windies but remain inconsistent away from home. Both squads are bolstered by returning talents, and a result looks likely with minimal rain forecast. The prediction gives a slight edge to West Indies, with Greaves, Joseph, and Kusal Mendis expected to shine.
Ralph Staniforth 3 hours ago
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  • West Indies and Sri Lanka both in poor recent Test form; hosts tipped to win.
  • Key in-form players: Shai Hope, Justin Greaves, Shamar Joseph (WI); Kusal Mendis (SL).
  • Sri Lanka lead recent Test head-to-head 3-0, but inconsistent away from home.
Shamar Joseph
Shamar Joseph has been in devastating form with the ball (Getty Images).

Neither of these teams are in good form in the longest format but I am giving the hosts the edge in the series opener.

Key Stats - Shai Hope in Good Form with the Bat


  • West Indies’ Shai Hope has scored 61*, 75, 32, 56 & 65* in his last 9 knocks.
  • West Indies’ Justin Greaves has scored 56*, 122 & 45 in his last 6 innings.
  • West Indies’ Shamar Joseph has taken 3/29, 3/32 & 5/33 in his last 3 matches.
  • Sri Lanka’s Kusal Mendis has scored 83, 80*, 41, 72, 36 & 31 in 9 innings.
  • Sri Lanka’s Kamindu Mendis has innings of 51, 24 & 20 in his last 3 knocks.
  • Sri Lanka’s Lahiru Kumara has figures of 3/25, 3/31, 2/4 and 4/39 in 8 innings.

Sri Lanka Hold Lead


Sri Lanka lead 3-0 in their last five Test matches against the Windies, the other two ended in draws.

West Indies Poor Test Form needs to be Corrected


The West Indies have lost four of their last five Tests, with the other match ending in a draw.

Shai Hope has scored 2,260 Test runs (ave 26.58) and has two half-centuries in his last four innings. Justin Greaves has been scoring runs, with three scores of 45-plus in his last six knocks. John Campbell has scores of 34, 126, 96, 42* in his last seven knocks.

Tagenarine Chanderpaul has scored 52, 70, 35, 69, 117* and 33 in his last nine innings. Joshua Da Silva has scores of 62, 36, 220 and 70 in his last seven innings. Jayden Seales has taken 22 wickets in his last seven innings with the ball. 

Shamar Joseph took 11 wickets in the three T20Is against Sri Lanka, while Alzarri Joseph took 2/45 and 4/41 in the recent tour match against Sri Lanka. Anderson Phillip has been in incredible form in domestic red-ball cricket, returning figures of 6/38, 4/92, 4/89, 4/63, 2/91 and 2/63 in his last four first-class matches.

Sri Lanka Inconsistent Away from Home


Sri Lanka have a very professional side with a lot of talent, but their batters have been inconsistent and their performance will be key to their success in this match.

Kusal Mendis has six scores of 30-plus in his nine innings, while Kamindu Mendis' last three knocks have been 51, 24 & 20. Pathum Nissanka has scored 62, 50, 79 and 26 in seven innings. Sonal Dinusha has scored 108, 60*, 51 and 36 in his last six innings.

Prabath Jayasuriya has figures of 4/54, 3/16 and 3/70 in his last four innings, while Isitha Wijesundara has taken 22 wickets in domestic red-ball cricket in his last five matches. Asitha Fernando took 2/26 and 3/27 in the tour match against Sri Lanka.

West Indies vs Sri Lanka 1st Test Predicted Lineups & News


With just a few spots of rain forecast over the scheduled five days of the Test we are sure to get a result. Joshua Da Silva and Amir Jangoo are back in the West Indies squad, along with Alzarri Joseph and Shamar Joseph.

West Indies squad: Roston Chase (c), Jomel Warrican, John Campbell, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Joshua Da Silva (wk), Justin Greaves, Kavem Hodge, Shai Hope, Amir Jangoo, Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph, Brandon King, Anderson Phillip, Kemar Roach, Jayden Seales. 

Sri Lanka squad: Pathum Nissanka, Lahiru Udara, Nishan Madushka, Dinesh Chandimal, Pasindu Sooriyabandara, Kamindu Mendis, Sonal Dinusha, Kusal Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva (c), Milan Rathnayake, Prabath Jayasuriya, Ramesh Mendis, Asitha Fernando, Vishwa Fernando, Lahiru Kumara, Isitha Wijesundara, Kasun Rajitha.

Verdict

The West Indies are tipped to win, with Justin Greaves, Shamar Joseph and Kusal Mendis backed to star with bat and ball.
      
Best Bet1: Shamar Joseph Take 5+ Wickets @5/7 at Hollywood bets - 2 Units
Best Bet2: Justin Greaves Score Over 49.5 Match Runs @5/6 at bet365 - 1 Unit
Best Bet3: West Indies Win Result @23/20 at 10bet - 1 Unit
Best Bet4: Kusal Mendis Score 70+ Match Runs @11/8 at Star Sports - 1 Unit
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