Sri Lanka name 17-member squad for New Zealand Tests; Nishan Madushka, Milan Rathnayake earn maiden call-ups

Sri Lanka Cricket announced a 17-member squad for the upcoming two-match Test series against New Zealand on February 24. The Asia Cup champions will tour New Zealand for two Tests, three ODIs and as many T20Is. The tour will begin on March 9 with the first Test at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch while the second Test will be played at Basin Reserve in Wellington.

Right-handed batter Nishan Madushka and pacer Milan Rathnayake have earned maiden call-ups while Chamika Karunaratne marks his return to the Test setup after playing his debut Test against Australia in February 2019. The team, which will be led by Dimuth Karunaratne, also includes experienced campaigners Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Dhananjaya De Silva and Dinesh Chandimal amongst others.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka have been in top form in the ongoing World Test Championship cycle for 2021-23. They are currently ranked third on the points table with a points percentage of 53.33. The last two Tests are important for Sri Lanka to qualify for the final of the World Test Championship.

They need to win both of their remaining Tests to get to a points percentage of 61.11 and hope that the ongoing series between India and Australia ends in favour of India by 2-0, 2-1 or 4-0.

If both of the scenarios come true, then Sri Lanka will find themselves in the final of the World Test Championship which will be held at the Oval, London from June 7. Sri Lanka can take some inspiration from Bangladesh who won their first-ever Test in New Zealand in 2022.

On the other hand, New Zealand were hammered by England in the first Test of the ongoing two-match series by 267 runs. They will look to make a comeback in the ongoing second Test to avoid a Test series loss at home for the first time since 2017. The Kiwis are also on the brink of getting whitewashed at home for the first time since 2016.

The winners of the inaugural World Test Championship have had a forgettable run in the ongoing cycle as they are on the eighth position in the points table with a points percentage of 27.27. The Kiwis will look to end the current cycle on a high by defeating Sri Lanka in their last series.

Sri Lanka Squad for New Zealand Tests

Dimuth Karunaratne (c), Oshada Fernando, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Dhananjaya De Silva, Dinesh Chandimal, Kamindu Mendis, Niroshan Dickwella, Nishan Madushka, Ramesh Mendis, Prabath Jayasuriya, Chamika Karunaratne, Kasun Rajitha, Lahiru Kumara, Asitha Fernando, Vishwa Fernando, Milan Rathnayake