Sri Lanka name 15-player squad for Pakistan Tests, Kusal Mendis to captain
Sri Lanka named a 15-player squad for two Tests against Pakistan, with Kusal Mendis as captain and Anjala Bandara earning a maiden call-up.
Sri Lanka named a 15-player squad on Tuesday for two Tests against Pakistan in November. Kusal Mendis will captain the side in the series, which begins in Rawalpindi on November 9 before moving to Lahore on November 17.
Mendis takes over the Test captaincy after Dhananjaya de Silva stepped down last week. Pathum Nissanka is included subject to regaining full fitness before the first match. Spinner Anjala Bandara received his first Test call-up in the touring party while pacer Eshan Malinga also earned a maiden call-up. Niroshan Dickwella was dropped from the squad.
Both matches count towards the 2025-2027 ICC World Test Championship cycle. Sri Lanka are currently seventh in the WTC points table with 33.33 per cent while Pakistan sit at the bottom with 4.63 per cent.
CricHubb Take
Mendis now leads Sri Lanka across all three formats at the same time the board is handing first Test caps to players it hopes will form the next core group.