Sri Lanka have called up uncapped offspinner Nishan Peiris for the second and final Test against New Zealand, replacing seamer Vishwa Fernando, who sustained a right hamstring injury during practice. Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) confirmed on Tuesday that Fernando will undergo rehabilitation at the board’s high-performance centre.
Fernando did not feature in the first Test, which Sri Lanka won by 63 runs. Seamers played a minimal role in the first Test, making it unlikely that Sri Lanka would have selected Fernando for the second Test, starting Thursday.
Sri Lanka named the 27-year-old Peiris in the Test squad twice before, in 2018 and earlier this year, but he hasn’t made his debut yet. His chances of breaking into the playing XI remain slim but possible, especially with some uncertainty surrounding the performance of offspinner Ramesh Mendis. Mendis took six wickets in the first Test, including the crucial dismissal of Daryl Mitchell in the second innings, but his overall control was lacking. Skipper Dhananjaya de Silva even criticized Mendis’ inconsistency, as his economy rate was the worst among Sri Lanka’s spinners despite his improved showing in the second innings.
Peiris, meanwhile, has an impressive first-class record, claiming 172 wickets in 41 matches at an average of 24.37. He also recently featured for Sri Lanka A in South Africa, where he took three wickets in the first unofficial Test, further boosting his chances of making his Test debut.
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