Two uncapped fast bowlers named in Sri Lanka Test squad to England

• Nissanka, Vandersay recalled after two years

By Sa’adi Thawfeeq

Sri Lanka have picked two uncapped fast bowlers Milan Rathnayake and Nisal Tharaka and recalled opening batsman Pathum Nissanka and leg-spinner Jeffrey Vandersay in their 18-member Test squad for England.

Rathnayake, a right-arm seamer was selected in Sri Lanka’s Test squad earlier and most recently for the one-off Test against Afghanistan, but has yet to break into the Test team. Aged 28, he has taken 79 wickets from 39 first-class matches and scored 633 runs with a top score of 59.

For 33-year-old Tharaka, a veteran of 107 first-class matches, this is his first call-up. A fast-bowling all-rounder, Tharaka who made his first-class debut in 2011 has 257 wickets and 2358 runs including a century in 107 matches. His most impressive performance was against Afghanistan A when he took 6/42 in the second innings to bowl Sri Lanka A to an innings and 26-run win in the four-day unofficial test played at the P Sara Oval in May this year. 

Nissanka (26) played the last of his 9 Tests against Australia at Galle in 2022, but since then he has been picked primarily as an opener in white ball cricket. He is the leading run-getter in the calendar year in ODIs with 598 runs (avg. 74.75) from 9 innings and a top score of 210*.

Vandersay gets a look-in the Test side at 34 after two years, and on the back of an impressive performance in the second ODI against India when he took a career best 6/33 and bowled Sri Lanka to victory by 32 runs. Vandersay has appeared in only one Test back in June 2022 against Australia. He is one of three spinners picked in the squad headed by Prabath Jayasuriya and Ramesh Mendis.

Sri Lanka has gone heavy on pace with six in the mix. Asitha Fernando and Vishwa Fernando lead the way with Kasun Rajitha, Lahiru Kumara, Tharaka and Rathnayake in support.

Dhananjaya de Silva will lead the side with Kusal Mendis as his deputy.

Sri Lanka open their three-Test tour of England with a 4-day warm-up game starting 14 August at Worcester. The Test series which is part of the ICC World Test Championship commences at Old Trafford, Manchester on 21 August. – (ST)

SRI LANKA TEST SQUAD TO ENGLAND

Dhananjaya de Silva (Captain), Dimuth Karunaratne, Nishan Madushka, Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (Vice- Captain), Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Kamindu Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Asitha Fernando, Vishwa Fernando, Kasun Rajitha, Lahiru Kumara, Nisala Tharaka, Prabath Jayasuriya, Ramesh Mendis, Jeffrey Vandersay, Milan Rathnayake.