Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) on Wednesday, August 7, announced the 18-member squad for the upcoming tour of England. Sri Lanka cricket team is all set to play a three-match Test series in England, starting from August 21 at the Old Trafford Cricket Ground in Manchester.

The second Test will be held at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground in Lord’s from August 29, followed by the third and final Test at the Kia Oval in Kennington from September 6 between the England cricket team and the Islanders. These matches are part of the ICC World Test Championship.

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) announces squad for England Tests

Taking to the social media platform X on Wednesday, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) announced the 18-member squad for the England tour. Dhananjaya De Silva will continue to captain the Sri Lanka cricket team in the longest format of the game on the UK tour.

The SLC said in a media release: “Sri Lanka Cricket Selection Committee approved the following 18-member squad to play the three-match test series against England. The Honorable Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs, Harin Fernando, approved the squad. The test series is part of the ICC World Test Championship.”

The team featured experienced players like Angelo Mathews and Dinesh Chandimal, alongside promising talents like Nishan Madushka and Pathum Nissanka. Kusal Mendis has been named as vice captain for the upcoming England tour, bringing dynamic batting skills to the team.

All-rounder Kamindu Mendis and wicketkeeper Sadeera Samarawickrama add depth to Sri Lanka’s batting lineup. The Islanders’ pace attack will be spearheaded by Asitha Fernando and Vishwa Fernando, with support from Kasun Rajitha and Lahiru Kumara.

Sri Lanka picks strong spin attack for England Test Series

The spin department featured Prabath Jayasuriya, Ramesh Mendis, Jeffrey Vandersay, and Milan Rathnayake. The Sri Lankan selectors picked probably the balanced squad for the challenging tour of England for the three-match Test series later this month.

Notably, England and Sri Lanka have played 12 Test series since 2000, and the Islanders managed to win only three times in 2003-04, 2007-08, and 2014. Sri Lanka had scripted history in 2014 when they won the Test series on England soil by a 1-0 margin in a two-match Test series.

They would now want to repeat their historic show when they face the Three Lions in the upcoming Test series in August-September. The Islanders have recently defeated India in the second ODI, and now they are aiming to beat the tourists in the third and final ODI to clinch the home series.

If Sri Lanka wins the ODI series against India, it will boost their confidence immensely for the upcoming Test series against the formidable England, who have recently whitewashed the West Indies in the three-match Test series at home.

Here’s the Sri Lanka squad for England Tests:

Dhananjaya De Silva (C), Dimuth Karunaratne, Nishan Madushka, Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (VC), Angelo Mathews. Dinesh Chandimal, Kamindu Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Asitha Fernando, Vishwa Fernando, Kasun Rajitha, Lahiru Kumara, Nisala Tharaka, Prabath Jayasuriya, Ramesh Mendis, Jeffrey Vandersay, and Milan Rathnayake.

🚨 Sri Lanka Test Squad for England Tour Announced 🚨 #ENGvSL pic.twitter.com/elussddz7y

— Sri Lanka Cricket 🇱🇰 (@OfficialSLC) August 7, 2024