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SL vs NZ: The Sri Lankan cricket board has announced its 16-member squad for the upcoming home series against the New Zealand cricket team.
Captain Dhananjaya de Silva Leads Sri Lankan Side In SL vs NZ Test Series
Dhananjaya de Silva has been named the Sri Lankan cricket team’s captain as the islanders are gearing up to host the Kiwis for a 2-match Test series.
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Sri Lanka is coming to this series after suffering a disappointing 1-2 defeat against the England cricket team in an away 3-match Test series. Meanwhile, the Sri Lankan cricket team didn’t change their squad from the England series.
Key Return: Oshada Fernando Reinforces Top Order
However, Oshada Fernando has returned to the side after more than a year since his last appearance in the red-ball cricket. Oshada Fernando’s return to the squad aims to solidify the top-order batting. He returns after his impressive showing with the A team, who are touring South Africa as of now.
In the first unofficial Test match of the two-match series, Oshada produced a match-winning performance, winning the Player of the Match performance after smashing 122 and 80 runs, guiding Sri Lanka’s A side to a stunning win. Madushka’s underwhelming run with the bat made way for Oshada in the squad.
Sri Lanka shows trust in youngsters
Youngsters like Pathum Nissanka, Kamindu Mendis, and Milan Rathanayake will aim to continue their impressive performances from the England series.
Major Missings From The Squad
Wicketkeeper-batter Nishan Madushka, Nisala Tharaka, and Kasun Rajitha were the major missings from the Sri Lankan squad.
Meanwhile, talking about the New Zealand players, the team hasn’t had the best of years as they suffered an early elimination in the T20 World Cup. The Kiwis recently traveled to India for a one-off Test match against the Afghanistan cricket. However, the game was abandoned without a ball being bowled or even without the toss because of persistent rain and a poor outfield at the Greater Noida Sports Complex Ground.
Sri Lanka is currently sitting at the fifth position on the World Test Championship (WTC) points table with a percentage of 42.86 while New Zealand is sitting at the third win with a 50.00 PCT. The Kiwis have a long Test season ahead as they play Sri Lanka and India in the away series, followed by England at home. The five Test matches will decide their fate in the ongoing WTC cycle.
Squads For SL vs NZ Test Series:
Sri Lanka’s squad For The SL vs NZ Test Series:
Dhananjaya de Silva, Dimuth Karunaratne, Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Kamindu Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Oshada Fernando, Asitha Fernando, Vishwa Fernando, Lahiru Kumara, Prabath Jayasuriya, Ramesh Mendis, Jeffrey Vandersay, Milan Rathnayake
New Zealand’s squad For The SL vs NZ Test Series:
Tim Southee (c), Tom Latham (vc), Tom Blundell (wk), Michael Bracewell, Devon Conway (wk), Matt Henry, Daryl Mitchell, William O’Rourke, Ajaz Patel, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Ben Sears, Kane Williamson, Will Young
