Tharindu Rathnayake among six uncapped players in SL squad for the first match against Bangladesh in Galle.
Ambidextrous spinner Tharindu Rathnayake included among six uncapped players in SL squad.
Six uncapped players have been added to Sri Lanka’s side for the first Test match against Bangladesh, which begins in Galle on June 17.
Given that this is Angelo Mathews’ final Test series and that Dimuth Karunaratne is no longer with the team after retiring earlier this year, there is a noticeable sense of a change of leadership about the 18-man roster that was revealed on Sunday.
Two of the six uncapped players are holdovers from Sri Lanka’s most recent tour against Australia: spin-bowling all-rounder Sonal Dinusha, 24, and opening batsman Lahiru Udara, 31. After years of consistent domestic success, Udara is ready to fill the Karunaratne-shaped void at the top of the hierarchy.
Vishwa Fernando, Jeffrey Vandersay, Sadeera Samarawickrama, and Nishan Peries were not included. Nishan Madushka, who had opened the innings and performed admirably for a significant portion of 2023 and 2024 but has since been forgotten after a difficult tour of England last year, was also left out.
In the meantime, Sri Lanka will be considering a number of players as possible Mathews successors in the future, including Dinusha, who bowls slow left-arm spin and recently hit an undefeated 104 against Afghanistan A.
The ambidextrous Tharindu Rathnayake may also be making his debut soon. Another player who has made an impression both at home and with Sri Lanka A is the 29-year-old. He excels at left-arm spin, but he can also hit right-arm off breaks with accuracy and flatness. It wouldn’t be shocking if Sri Lanka choose Ratnayake above Dananjaya given his skill with the bat.