Sri Lanka have picked three uncapped players in their squad for the one-off Test match against Afghanistan in Colombo starting on February 2. Sri Lanka Cricket announced the squad for the only Test match on Wednesday. This Test match will mark Dhananjaya de Silva’s first outing as full-time skipper as he replaces Dimuth Karunaratne.
The three uncapped players are Lahiru Udara, Chamika Gunasekara and Milan Rathnayake. While Udara is a wicketkeeper-batter, Gunasekara and Rathnayake are expected to add strength to the bowling department. Udara and Gunasekara have featured in a T20I match and an ODI fixture till now respectively, Rathnayake hasn’t got a game in any of the formats till now. This will be the first-ever Test match featuring these two teams.
The match is set to mark Dhananjaya De Silva’s first chapter as the Test skipper for the Sri Lankan side, with ODI captain Kusal Mendis handling the role of the vice-captain of the squad. Senior players like Dimuth Karunaratne, Angelo Mathews and former skipper Dinesh Chandimal are also part of Sri Lanka’s packed squad.
Sri Lanka will be looking to mark a strong return to Test cricket with the confidence gained from their clashes against Zimbabwe and will be looking to take the upper hand over a seemingly less-experienced Afghanistan side. After an impressive display against a strong side like India, Afghanistan will be looking to make the most out of their only Test fixture till late February.
Sri Lanka full squad
Dhananjaya de Silva (c), Kusal Mendis (vc), Dimuth Karunaratne, Nishan Madushka, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Ramesh Mendis, Asitha Fernando, Vishwa Fernando, Kasun Rajitha, Kamindu Mendis, Prabath Jayasuriya, Lahiru Udara, Chamika Gunasekara, Milan Rathnayake
