Jago Times "English Edition" Best Online Newspaper
Sri Lanka have named a 16-member Test squad on Wednesday for their one-off match against Afghanistan, scheduled to begin on Friday in Colombo.
This will be Sri Lanka’s first assignment under the new Test captain Dhananjaya de Silva, after they appointed different captains for the Test, ODI and T20 sides earlier this month.
Upul Tharanga, the newly appointed chief of Sri Lanka’s selection committee announced the squad.
Uncapped pace bowlers Chamika Gunasekara and Milan Rathnayake, as well as opening batter Lahiru Udara, have been named in the squad, along with batting allrounder Kamindu Mendis who has played his solitary Test against Australia in 2022.
Meanwhile, fast bowler Kasun Rajitha, who missed the recent home series against Zimbabwe due to injury, has been recalled into the side for the Afghanistan Test.
Notably, this will be the first time Sri Lanka and Afghanistan will face off in a Test match. Both teams will also play three ODIs in Kandy and three T20 matches in Dambulla after the one-off Test in Colombo.
Sri Lanka Squad
Dhananjaya de Silva (c), Kusal Mendis, Dimuth Karunaratne, Nishan Madushka, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Ramesh Mendis, Asitha Fernando, Vishwa Fernando, Kasun Rajitha, Kamindu Mendis, Prabath Jayasuriya, Lahiru Udara, Chamika Gunasekara, Milan Rathnayake.
Afghanistan Squad
Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Ibrahim Zadran, Abdul Malik, Noor Ali Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Bahir Shah, Nasir Jamal, Ikram Alikhil (wk), Mohammad Ishaq (wk), Qais Ahmad, Zia-ur-Rehman, Zahir Khan, Yamin Ahmadzai, Nijat Masood, Mohammad Saleem, Naveed Zadran.