Three uncapped players make SL squad for one-off Afghanistan Test
Sri Lanka named as many as three uncapped players in their squad for the impending one-off Test against Afghanistan, starting February 2 Right-arm seamers Chamika Gunasekara and Milan Rathnayake, as well as opener Lahiru Udara have made it to the squad announced on January 31. Dhananjaya de Silva will lead the Lankans in what would be his first assignment as full-time Test captain.
SL's squad for one-off Afghanistan Test
SL's squad: Dhananjaya de Silva (captain), Kusal Mendis (vice-captain), Dimuth Karunaratne, Nishan Madushka, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Ramesh Mendis, Asitha Fernando, Vishwa Fernando, Kasun Rajitha, Kamindu Mendis, Prabath Jayasuriya, Lahiru Udara, Chamika Gunasekara, and Milan Rathnayake.
A look at the key takeaways
Sri Lanka's newly-formed selection committee, headed by former batter Upul Tharanga, named its first Test squad. Meanwhile, de Silva will lead for the first time in Tests, having taken over from Dimuth Karunaratne. The one-off Test set to be hosted by the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo will be the first ever between Sri Lanka and Afghanistan.
Stats of uncapped players
As mentioned, uncapped players Gunasekara, Rathnayake, and Udara have made it to the Lankan squad. Right-arm seamer Gunasekara averages under 26 with the ball in each of First-Class, List A, and T20 cricket. Rathnayake owns 66 First-Class wickets at an average of 31.15. Meanwhile, Udara has racked up over 6,000 runs in red-ball cricket.
Udara's impressive NSL run
Udara, who is yet to make his international debut, has had an impressive run at the National Super League (NSL), a four-day tournament, of late. He struck 100 and 72 against Galle, a side that featured Ramesh Mendis and Rathnayake.
