Sri Lanka have selected a 15-man squad for their next two-Test series against Pakistan in the ICC World Test Championship, including opener Pathum Nissanka who is under the radar for fitness.
Kusal Mendis will captain Sri Lanka in the first Test, which will kick off in Rawalpindi on November 9 against Pakistan.
Keeping in mind Sri Lanka’s trip to India in August, Nissanka has been brought back into the squad. But his first Test will be contingent on a fitness test conducted by the team management before the match.
Fast bowler Dilshan Madushanka has also been brought back into the Test fold, to which Eshan Malinga and Anjala Bandara have been called up as well.
However, opener Lahiru Udara, who scored 188 runs in June against the West Indies, has been left out. The wicketkeeper-batter Niroshan Dickwella is also not in the 15-man squad.
The two Test series will kick off in Rawalpindi with match one as the starting point from November 9 till 13. The next Test will be held in Lahore, from November 17-21, where the teams will now play each other.
It’s a series that will be significant for both teams in their ongoing World Test Championship campaigns. Currently Sri Lanka are in seventh place, and Pakistan are in ninth place, so the next games will be an opportunity for both sides to climb the table.
Sri Lanka team: Kusal Mendis (c), Anjala Bandara, Dinesh Chandimal, Dhananjaya De Silva, Sonal Dinusha, Asitha Fernando, Prabath Jayasuriya, Lahiru Kumara, Dilshan Madushanka, Eshan Malinga, Kamindu Mendis, Pathum Nissanka, Keshara Nuwantha, Milan Rathnayaka, Pasindu Sooriyabandara.
Pakistan vs Sri Lanka Test schedule
- First Test: November 9–13, Rawalpindi
- Second Test: November 17–21, Lahore