Mendis and Chandimal drop for Pakistan test
August 1, 2014 03:44 pm
Sri Lanka have named a 15-man squad for the first two home Tests against Pakistan in August, dropping wicketkeeper Dinesh Chandimal and spinner Ajantha Mendis from the line-up.
Sri Lanka lost their most recent Test series at home, one-nil to South Africa, and while Chandimal did not play, Mendis was poor and took no wickets in the second Test in Colombo.
This means Niroshan Dickwella, who made his debut in the series to good effect, gets to keep the gloves in the absence of the injured Prasanna Jayawardene, while Rangana Herath and Dilruwan Perera remain the frontline spinners.
Fast bowlers Suranga Lakmal and Shaminda Eranga have been included, but are there on conditions of proving their fitness. Nuwan Pradeep returns to the side after missing the SA series due to injury.
The squad is for the first two of the three-match series, which is also veteran batsman Mahela Jayawardene’s final series before retirement at the end of August. - cricket365