Sri Lanka name 18-man Test squad for England tour; Jeffrey Vandersay and Pathum Nissanka recalled
Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has announced an 18-member squad for the upcoming tour of England, consisting of three Tests, beginning on August 21. Pathum Nissanka has returned to the Test squad after a two-year absence from the format as does leg-spinner Jefferey Vandersay. Nisala Tharaka and Milan Rathnayake are the two uncapped players in the crew.
Tharaka, a right-arm medium-fast bowler, has a promising first-class record. The 33-year-old has plied his trade in 107 first-class matches, picking up 257 wickets at 30.27 alongside 10 fifers and eight 10-wicket hauls. He also has a first-class century with a highest score of 107. Rathnayake is another medium-fast bowler and has picked up 79 scalps in 39 first-class fixtures, averaging 31.77.
Vandersay has likely received a recall following his match-winning six-wicket haul against India in Colombo recently. The leggie made his first Test appearance in 2022 against Australia and finished with two wickets in the only innings he bowled. Nissanka also last played a Test in 2022 and has 537 runs in nine matches with five fifties and a century.
Sri Lanka Test squad: Dhananjaya de Silva (c), Dimuth Karunaratne, Nishan Madushka, Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (c), Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Kamindu Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Prabhat Jayasuriya, Ramesh Mendis, Jefferey Vandersay, Asitha Fernando, Vishwa Fernando, Kasun Rajitha, Lahiru Kumara, Nisala Tharaka, Milan Rathnayake.
England have won last 7 out of 8 Tests against Sri Lanka
Meanwhile, England have had a good record against Sri Lanka recently. The Englishmen toured the island nation twice in 2018 and 2021 and won all five Tests there. Nevertheless, the Lankans secured their first series win on English soil when they emerged victorious in a nail-biter in Leeds. However, England's current form means the tourists will have to be at their absolute best to beat the hosts.
England, led by Ben Stokes, named their 14-man squad on Sunday, August 4. Their in-form opener Zak Crawley will miss all three Tests due to a fractured right little finger.