Sri Lankan names without caps Rathnayake, Udara, and Gunasekara for the Afghanistan Test

Dilshan Madushanka, Kusal Perera, and Pathum Nissanka have yet to be included.

For the one-off Test match against Afghanistan that begins on Friday, Sri Lanka has named uncapped right-arm seamers Chamika Gunasekara and Milan Rathnayake in their squad. Lahiru Udara, the opener, and Kamindu Mendis, the all-round batsman, are also included.

Pathum Nissanka, who was a member of Sri Lanka's previous Test team but hasn't participated in a test since the middle of 2022, is left off the list. This squad does not include Dilshan Madushanka, who is playing in the ILT20 in the United Arab Emirates at the moment. Likewise, with Kusal Perera.

Under the direction of Upul Tharanga, the new selection committee for Sri Lanka has announced its first Test team. This Friday's game will also mark Dhananjaya de Silva's debut as captain.

There are no significant surprises elsewhere. As they did against Pakistan the previous year, Dimuth Karunaratne and Nishan Madushka are probably going to open the batting. Kusal Mendis is probably going to be at No. 3, with de Silva, Angelo Mathews, and Dinesh Chandimal batting lower down. Perhaps Sadeera Samarawickrama will take the gloves once more.

Sri Lanka's main spin options are probably going to be Prabath Jayasuriya and Ramesh Mendis, while their seam-bowling options include Asitha Fernando, Kasun Rajitha, and Vishwa Fernando. The squad does not include left-arm spinner Praveen Jayawickrama, who made his debut in 2021 and took 11 wickets. Since then, however, he has had less successful performances.

Gunasekara's selection is partially due to his strong performance in the current four-day National Super League (NSL) competition. Gunasekara has taken eight wickets at an average of 16.5 in two matches played in the last two weeks. Rathnayake, on the other hand, was selected in light of a more extensive body of work; he has demonstrated his abilities on the Sri Lanka A team in the past. Rathnayake has been picked for this second Test squad, even though he hasn't played for Sri Lanka yet.

Udara, who hasn't played a Test match either, joins the team after making an impression recently in the NSL. In the previous two weeks, he had struck scores of 100 and 72 against a Galle attack that included Ramesh Mendis and Rathnayake.

Rashid Khan is not with Afghanistan for this test. These teams are playing a Test match against one another for the first time.

Afghanistan test squad for Sri Lanka

Kusal Mendis, 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.