The Sri Lankan Cricket (SLC) on February 24 (Friday) announced the senior men's squad for the two-match Test series against New Zealand. Dimuth Karunaratne will continue to lead the Islanders in the longest format of the game while the inclusion of veterans Angelo Matthews and Dinesh Chandimal make Sri Lanka's 17-member contingent a potent force, at least on paper. Sri Lanka is scheduled to tour New Zealand for a full-fledged bilateral series, starting March 09. The two teams will square off in a two-match Test series, a three-match ODI series, and three-match T20I series.
The Test series will be of great significance as Sri Lanka still has an outside chance of qualifying for the World Test Championship (WTC) Final. The Islanders need to whitewash the Black Caps in order to bolster their chances of making the ICC tournament final. They would also need other results to go in their favour.
The Sri Lankan squad boasts a nice blend of youth and experience. In the batting department, Karunaratne, Kusal Mendis, Matthews, Dhananjaya de Silva, Chandimal and Niroshan Dickwella have a wealth of experience when it comes to red-ball cricket.
In the bowling department, Lahiru Kumara, Chamika Karunaratne, Kasun Rajitha, Asitha Fernando, Milan Rathnayake, and Vishwa Fernando will bring pace and variety in friendly New Zealand conditions.
The first Test will be played at Christchurch while Wellington will host the second Test from March 17.
Squad: Dimuth Karunaratne (c), Oshada Fernando, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Dhananjaya de Silva, Dinesh Chandimal, Kamindu Mendis, Niroshan Dickwella, Nishan Madushka, Ramesh Mendis, Prabath Jayasuriya, Chamika Karunaratne, Kasun Rajitha, Lahiru Kumara, Asitha Fernando, Vishwa Fernando and Milan Rathnayake.
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