Oshada Fernando Returns as Sri Lanka Announces Squad for New Zealand Test Series

Sri Lanka has announced its 16-member squad for the upcoming two-match Test series against New Zealand, which is set to begin on September 18 as part of the World Test Championship. The squad features the return of batter Oshada Fernando, who last played for the Test side in March 2023.

Fernando’s recall comes after a strong showing for Sri Lanka ‘A’, where he impressed with scores of 122 and 80 in a recent series against South Africa ‘A’. The 33-year-old will replace Nishan Madushka, who was part of the squad during the recent three-match Test series in England.

In addition to Madushka, Kasun Rajitha and Nisala Tharaka have also missed out, while Sri Lanka has retained 15 players from the squad that traveled to England.

Leading the team will be Dhananjaya de Silva, with veteran players like Dimuth Karunaratne, Angelo Mathews, and Dinesh Chandimal providing experience. Promising younger players such as Pathum Nissanka, Kamindu Mendis, and Sadeera Samarawickrama are also included in the lineup.

The Sri Lankan squad for the New Zealand series is as follows

Dhananjaya De Silva (captain), Dimuth Karunaratne, Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Kamindu Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Oshada Fernando, Asitha Fernando, Vishwa Fernando, Lahiru Kumara, Prabath Jayasuriya, Ramesh Mendis, Jeffrey Vandersay, and Milan Rathnayake.

Despite losing the series 2-1 to England, Sri Lanka enters the New Zealand series with momentum, having secured a remarkable victory in the final Test at The Oval.

This win propelled the team into the top five of the World Test Championship standings with a point percentage of 42.86, while New Zealand currently holds third placewith 50%.