Sri Lanka v England: Hosts name five uncapped players in 22-man squad
- Published
Angelo Mathews averages 45.3 in 86 Tests
Sri Lanka have named five uncapped players in their 22-man squad for their two-Test series against England.
Batsmen Minod Bhanuka and Santhush Gunathilake, spinning all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga and pace bowlers Asitha Fernando and Dilshan Madushanka are all included.
England named a 16-man squad last week, for the series starting on 14 January.
The Sri Lanka squad, minus the injured Angelo Mathews, will first travel to South Africa for a two-Test series.
Mathews, who suffered a hamstring injury in the recent Lankan Premier League, will miss the series that starts in Centurion on 26 December but is hoping to be fit for England's visit.
England were originally due to tour Sri Lanka in March but the series was curtailed during the warm-up matches because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Left-hander Bhanuka, 25, has played three white-ball games for Sri Lanka and averages 44.68 in 54 first-class games.
Hasaranga, 23, averages 42.73 with the bat, and 26.65 with the ball, in first-class cricket, and has made 28 appearances for Sri Lanka in limited-overs cricket.
Fernando, 23, and Madushanka, 20, have both featured once in white-ball cricket for Sri Lanka and average 23.31 and 14.30 respectively with the ball in mutli-day cricket.
Gunathilake, 21, is yet to feature for Sri Lanka in any format, but averages 45.33 in 15 first-class innings.
Both matches in the series take place in Galle with the second Test starting on 22 January.
England's last completed tour of Sri Lanka was in November 2018, when they won a three-Test series 3-0.
Squad: Dimuth Karunaratne (capt), Kusal Perera (wk), Dinesh Chandimal, Kusal Mendis (wk), Angelo Mathews*, Oshada Fernando, Dhananjaya de Silva, Niroshan Dickwella (wk), Minod Bhanuka, Lahiru Thirimanne, Lasith Embuldeniya, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dilruwan Perera, Suranga Lakmal, Lahiru Kumara, Vishwa Fernando, Kasun Rajitha, Dushmantha Chameera, Dasun Shanaka, Santhush Gunathilake, Asitha Fernando, Dilshan Madushanka.
*available for England series only