Sri Lanka announce playing XI for first Test against England

Sri Lanka has announced their playing XI for the opening Test of their three-match series against England, starting from August 21 in Manchester.

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) confirmed that right-arm medium-fast bowler Milan Rathnayake will make his Test debut in this series opener. 

Rathnayake will be part of a pace attack that includes Asitha Fernando and Vishwa Fernando, while Prabath Jayasuriya will serve as the sole specialist spinner. 

Captain Dhananjaya de Silva and Kamindu Mendis are also available to provide additional bowling options if required.

Previously, England also announced their lineup for the first Test. The team is facing injury issues with opener Zak Crawley and Test captain Ben Stokes both ruled out of the series. 

This series is part of the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25 cycle. Following the first Test, the second Test will take place from August 29 to September 2 in London, while the third Test is set to run from September 6 to September 10 at The Oval.

Sri Lanka playing XI: Dimuth Karunaratne, Nishan Madushka, Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Dhananjaya de Silva (c), Dinesh Chandimal (wk), Kamindu Mendis, Prabath Jayasuriya, Milan Rathnayake, Asitha Fernando, Vishwa Fernando

England Playing XI: Dan Lawrence, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope (c), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith (wk), Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Matt Potts, Mark Wood, Shoaib Bashir