Sri Lankan off-spinner Nishan Peiris will make his Test debut in Galle on Thursday in the second and final Test against New Zealand.
The 27-year-old Peiris replaces dropped off-spinner Ramesh Mendis.
Although Peiris was part of Sri Lanka’s touring squad to Bangladesh earlier this year, he did not feature in any matches. His inclusion in the national team comes from notable performances in domestic cricket.
Sri Lanka made two changes overall from its 63-run win in the first Test, also held in Galle, with all-rounder Milan Rathnayake coming in for fast bowler Lahiru Kumara.
“One of our recent shortcomings has been the lack of contributions from the lower order, and we believe Milan Rathnayake can help address that issue,” Sri Lanka batting coach Thilina Kandamby said.
“In Galle, it’s crucial to post a substantial score in the first innings. We’ve managed to recover well after some poor starts, but we need to establish momentum from the outset. That’s our goal heading into the second Test.”
New Zealand head coach Gary Stead saw lots of positives from the opening defeat.
“We had three players (Tom Latham, Kane Williamson and Daryl Mitchell) score half-centuries in the first innings, and Rachin Ravindra’s knock of 92 in the second innings was particularly impressive,” Stead said.
Be the first to comment