New Delhi: Sri Lanka have called back batter Pathum Nissanka and pacer Lahiru Kumara for the second Test against England that begins at Lord’s on Thursday.
Nissanka will play a Test for the first time since 2022 and will replace Kusal Mendis in the top order while Kumara will take the place of left-armer Vishwa Fernando.
Sri Lanka will make these two changes to their playing XI after getting beaten in the first Test at Manchester’s Old Trafford by five wickets to trail 0-1 in the three-match series.
Nissanka has been on good form in ODIs this year and Sri Lanka skipper Dhananjaya de Silva hopes he would continue that form in the five-day format.
“Overall, Pathum is the best batter in the country at the moment. He has a good mindset and he has a good technique,” said De Silva, at a pre-match media chat on Wednesday.
After his 79-run knock in the second-innings at Old Trafford, Dinesh Chandimal kept his place in the team.
“I am not concerned about the speed. Speed is not troubling us. It is the line and length that’s troubling us. Chris Woakes is able to bowl 20 to 30 balls at one area and that’s what is troubling us,” Da silva said.
Need WTC points
The 32-year-old middle-order batter wants points from the second Test and would target a maiden win in the red-ball cricket at Lord’s.
“It is all about getting a Test win. It will mean a lot for the country. But more importantly we need to get points in the World Test Championship,” Da Silva said.
“We are more confident heading into this game. We were confident at Old Trafford as well but we failed to deliver. We have to be clear with our plans and execute them well.”
The second Test between England and Sri Lanka begins at Lord’s with the home side 1-0 up in the three-match series Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
