Wanindu Hasaranga has returned from Test retirement and been chosen to Sri Lanka’s 17-man team for the two-Test series against Bangladesh, which begins Friday. Sri Lanka has also recalled seamer Lahiru Kumara and picked uncapped offspinner Nishan Peiris in their squad.
Seamers Milan Rathnayake and Asitha Fernando will make way, with the latter still recovering from a hamstring ailment that held him out of the tour’s ODI leg.
Hasaranga declared his Test retirement in August 2023 to concentrate on white-ball cricket. In four Tests, he has four wickets at an average of 100.75. He last played a home Test against Bangladesh in April 2021.
Given that the series concludes on April 3, Hasaranga would be unavailable for the first three games for his IPL franchise, Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Kumara’s recall, meanwhile, is unlikely to have occurred without Asitha’s injury, but it follows an outstanding four-wicket haul in the third ODI against Bangladesh. Kumara has not played a Test in a year. Peiris was last named to a Test team in 2018, but did not make it into the playing XI. He’s taken 24 wickets in his last four first-class games. Overall, he has 153 wickets in 37 games for an average of 24.79.
The rest of the squad remains unchanged from the one picked for the one-off Test against Afghanistan earlier this year, with Dhananjaya de Silva expected to lead. Uncapped opener Lahiru Udara is still with the team, but his chances of replacing Dimuth Karunaratne or Nishan Madushka at the top of the order appear poor at the present. The rest of the batting will almost surely include Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, and de Silva, with Sadeera Samarawickrama expected to take the gloves.
The remaining four slots in the XI will be decided based on Sri Lanka’s spin-to-seam ratio. Prabath Jayasuriya has been a regular in the Test team since his debut, however he has largely played at home since then. Peiris and Ramesh Mendis both offer spin bowling alternatives, but Jayasuriya and Hasaranga are likely to be their first choices.
If Sri Lanka opts for two seamers, Kumara, Kasun Rajitha, Vishwa Fernando, and Chamika Gunasekara would compete for the other two berths.
The first Test starts on Friday in Sylhet.
SL squad for Bangladesh Tests
Dhananjaya de Silva (capt), Kusal Mendis, Dimuth Karunaratne, Nishan Madushka, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Sadeera Samarawickrama (wk), Kamindu Mendis, Lahiru Udara, Wanindu Hasaranga, Prabath Jayasuriya, Ramesh Mendis, Nishan Peiris, Kasun Rajitha, Vishwa Fernando, Lahiru Kumara, Chamika Gunasekara
