Sri Lanka’s captain, Dhananjaya de Silva, has revealed that his team requested an extra warm-up match before their Test series against England but was denied. Sri Lanka lost their four-day, first-class match against England Lions last week by seven wickets. Despite a poor start with Sri Lanka bowled out for 139 on the first day, Nishan Madushka, Angelo Mathews, and Dhananjaya scored half-centuries in the second innings, showing improvement.
Eight players from that warm-up match will feature in the first Test at Emirates Old Trafford, with Kamindu Mendis, Vishwa Fernando, and Asitha Fernando set to join the team. Milan Rathnayake will make his Test debut at 28, having taken wickets in both innings against the Lions.
Dhananjaya noted, “The conditions here are quite different from those in Asia. We wanted a few more practice matches, but that’s what we got.” He expressed uncertainty about why their request for an additional warm-up match was not accommodated, suggesting the tight schedule might be a factor. Sri Lanka has not played a Test since April and is coming off a 2-0 ODI series win against India.
Dhananjaya remains positive about the team’s preparation and expects the weather to impact the match, hoping that Prabath Jayasuriya, described as a “world-class spinner,” will make a significant contribution. He will rely on the experience of Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, and Dimuth Karunaratne throughout the series.
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