The Sri Lanka Cricket Selection Committee released five players, including regular Test captain Dimuth Karunaratne and Kusal Mendis, from the Test Squad currently taking part in the ongoing Test Series against England.
According to a SLC press release, Karunaratne has been removed from the squad due to an injury.
Apart from these two, Minod Bhanuka, Lahiru Kumara, and Nuwan Pradeep have also been released from the Test squad.
Karunaratne suffered a hairline fracture of the left thumb during the recent tour of South Africa.
He did not recover in time to play the first Test against England.
In his absence, Dinesh Chandimal led the Sri Lankan team in the first game, and Chandimal will continue to captain the team in the second test match as well.
“The released players will return to training at the High-Performance Center in Colombo,” SLC said in their official media release.
Kusal Mendis dropped
Mendis has been dropped from the squad due to his poor form with the bat in the last few matches.
He has four consecutive ducks, and in the last innings against England, he scored only 15 runs.
Roshen Silva is likely to replace him in the team.
England recorded a 7-wicket victory in the first match of the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka.
After winning the toss, Sri Lanka batted first and scored only 135 runs in the first innings.
In reply, England scored 421 runs in their first innings.
Sri Lanka then scored 359 runs in their second innings, giving England a winning target of 74 runs. In the end, England achieved the winning target by losing three wickets.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka is hoping that fast bowler Suranga Lakmal, who did not play in the first match due to injury, will be fit for the second Test.
To avoid losing the series, Sri Lanka must win the second match. The second Test match between Sri Lanka and England begins in Galle on Friday.
