COLOMBO: Sri Lanka have named an 18-member squad for the three-match Test series in England to be played in August and September 2024.
Sri Lanka have named uncapped players Nisal Tharaka and Milan Rathnayake in their 18-man squad for the three Test matches in England starting on August 21. Dhananjaya de Silva will be the captain of the team, Kusal Mendis will be appointed as his deputy.
Other notable inclusions are former captains Angelo Mathews and Dimuth Karunaratne, stalwarts of the Sri Lankan batting line-up and left-arm batsman Prabath Jayasuriya, whose 71 wickets are jointly the fourth-highest in history after 12 Test matches.
Now 33, right-arm medium-fast bowling all-rounder Tharaka has 257 wickets from 107 first-class matches at an average of 30.27, along with 2,358 runs. In the 2023/24 season, he took 44 wickets at 24.75 and scored his only first-class century. He played for Sri Lanka A in May this year and defeated Afghanistan A with figures of 6-26.
Milan Rathnayake, who turned 28 earlier this month, also bowls at medium pace. He has 75 wickets from 37 games at an average of 31.97, along with 659 runs.
Of the nine series in England (including one-off Test matches), Sri Lanka have won twice, drawn twice and lost the remaining five. Apart from New Zealand in 2021, they remain the last touring team to beat England in England, having achieved the feat in 2014.
Sri Lanka Squad for England Test Series:
Dhananjaya de Silva (c), Kusal Mendis (vc), Dimuth Karunaratne, Nishan Madushka, Pathum Nissanka, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Kamindu Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Asitha, Vishwa Fernando, Kasun Rajitha, Lahiru Jaysur, Mendis, Jeffrey Vandersay, Nisala Tharaka, Milan Rathnayake
