Left-arm spinner Lasith Embuldeniya has been named in Sri Lanka’s squad for the two Tests in South Africa, more than two years after he last played a Test. Offspinner Nishan Peiris, who made his Test debut against New Zealand in September, has also been included.
Ramesh Mendis, the offspin-bowling allrounder, misses out on selection, though he claimed six wickets in his only Test appearance this year. Ramesh, additionally, can bat.
Though Prabath Jayasuriya leads the spin contingent, this amounts to something of a shake-up in the ranks with Sri Lanka playing in Durban and Gqeberha, where the tracks are expected to take more turn than most South African surfaces, particularly as matches wear on.
The squad is largely as expected in the batting and seam-bowling fronts, however. Asitha Fernando, Vishwa Fernando, Lahiru Kumara, Kasun Rajitha and allrounder Milan Rathnayake make up fast-bowling outfit. Top order batter Oshada Fernando makes it in into this squad, but Nishan Madushka – who has made a bright start in ODIs – does not.
Both Embuldeniya and Oshada have partly been picked on account of their good performances in South Africa in 2019, when Sri Lanka had also played in Durban and what was then Port Elizabeth. Embuldeniya had taken six wickets at 23.83 across three innings on that tour, while Oshada had hit a fourth-innings 75 not out alongside Kusal Mendis to see Sri Lanka home in what could have been a tough chase. Neither player, though, has been especially impressive in domestic cricket over the last season, though Embuldeniya did have a decent outing in the four-day National Super League.
Several Test specialists are already in Durban for a pre-series training camp, overseen partially by former South Africa batter Neil McKenzie, who serves as Sri Lanka’s consultant on this trip.
Kusal Mendis, Asitha, Kamindu Mendis and Pathum Nissanka have also been pulled out of the ongoing ODI series against New Zealand, after Sri Lanka sealed that series on Sunday. This is so those players can have a couple of extra days to recover and begin preparation for the Tests in South Africa.
The first Test is scheduled to start on November 27, in Kingsmead, Durban.
Both Sri Lanka and South Africa have a shot at finishing in the top two on the World Test Championship table.
Sri Lanka squad for Test series in South Africa
Dhananjaya de Silva (capt), Pathum Nissanka, Dimuth Karunaratne, Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews, Kusal Mendis, Kamindu Mendis, Oshada Fernando, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Prabath Jayasuriya, Nishan Peiris, Lasith Embuldeniya, Milan Rathnayake, Asitha Fernando, Vishwa Fernando, Lahiru Kumara, Kasun Rajitha
Andrew Fidel Fernando is a senior writer at ESPNcricinfo. @afidelf
