Sri Lanka appoint Kusal Mendis captain for Pakistan Tests

Sri Lanka named Kusal Mendis captain for the two-Test series against Pakistan that begins in Rawalpindi on November 9. Dhananjaya de Silva stepped down from the role and retained his place in the 15-member squad announced on Tuesday. Mendis, who already leads the side in ODIs and T20Is, will take charge of the Test team for the first time.

Pathum Nissanka was included subject to regaining fitness after a hamstring injury. The squad also featured a recall for left-arm seamer Dilshan Madushanka and a debut call-up for uncapped wicketkeeper-batter Anjala Bandara, who has scored 2,239 first-class runs at an average of 65.85. Lahiru Udara and Niroshan Dickwella were omitted.

Sri Lanka sit seventh in the World Test Championship standings with a points percentage of 33.33, while Pakistan are bottom with 4.63. The second Test will be played in Lahore from November 17.