Sri Lanka name 17-man squad for away Test series against South Africa; Kasun Rajitha returns
Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) have announced their squad for the upcoming two-match Test series in and against South Africa, scheduled to begin from November 27 onwards. Dhananjaya de Silva will lead the squad, as the island nation remains in the hunt for a spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) final after promising red-ball results against England and New Zealand recently.
Sri Lanka have decided to retain the majority of the players who were part of the victorious 2-0 clean sweep against New Zealand at home. The changes come in the bowling unit, with spinners being substituted for pacers, keeping the South African conditions in mind.
Right-arm seamer Kasun Rajitha has returned to the side to assist the likes of Asitha Fernando, Lahiru Kumara, and Vishwa Fernando in the pace attack. Milan Rathnayake, who had impressed in his debut series in England with his all-round abilities, could also be in contention for a spot in the playing XI after missing out on the rank turners in the subcontinent of late.
Off-spinner Nishan Peiris, who claimed a nine-wicket haul on his Test debut against New Zealand recently, has also been retained. The remainder of the spin department includes Prabath Jayasuriya and Lasith Embuldeniya, with the latter making a return after having played his last Test in 2022. The spin duo of Ramesh Mendis and Jeffrey Vandersay have been dropped.
Kusal Mendis, Pathum Nissanka, Kamindu Mendis, and Asitha Fernando were released from the ODI squad ahead of the series finale against New Zealand, to be played today (November 19). With Sri Lanka already claiming an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series, the aforementioned players could shift their focus on recovery and preparation.
Sri Lanka squad for two-match Test series against South Africa
Dhananjaya de Silva, Pathum Nissanka, Dimuth Karunaratne, Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews, Kusal Mendis, Kamindu Mendis, Oshada Fernando, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Prabath Jayasuriya, Nishan Peiris, Lasith Embuldeniya, Milan Rathnayake, Asitha Fernando, Vishwa Fernando, Lahiru Kumara, Kasun Rajitha
Sri Lanka suffered a whitewash during their last tour of South Africa
Sri Lanka had scripted a famous and rare series win in the Rainbow Nation in 2019 but suffered a brutal whitewash on their next tour during the 2020-21 season.
The two upcoming Tests will be held at Durban and Gqeberha. The Proteas are also in contention to qualify for the World Test Championship (WTC) final. They will host Pakistan as well during their home season.