Sri Lanka depleted for second Test after players test positive for COVID 

Sri Lanka have been delivered a severe blow ahead of the second Test starting in Galle on Friday as four players tested positive for COVID and the hosts were forced to bring in replacements. Australia have already retained Warne-Murali Trophy having won the first Test last week by ten wickets and Sri Lanka’s efforts of squaring the two match series has suffered a huge blow.

When testings were done on Wednesday evening, three players who featured in the first Test returned positive. Leg-spinner Jeffrey Vandersay, fast bowler Asitha Fernando and all-rounder Dhananjaya de Silva have been ruled out of the second Test while left-arm spinner Praveen Jayawickrama is already in isolation having tested positive earlier in the week. Sri Lanka have added spinners Prabath Jayasuriya, Maheesh Theekshana, Lakshan Sandakan and Dunith Wellalage into the squad and two of them are expected to partner Ramesh Mendis, who played in the first Test. Apart from Sandakan, the other spinners who were added to the squad are yet to make their debuts. The squad already has a back up batsman in Kamindu Mendis, who is likely to replace de Silva.

One good news for Sri Lanka is that former captain Angelo Mathews, who tested positive for COVID during the first Test has been given the all clear and he will take part in the game.

The Sri Lankan camp will go through another round of testing on the eve of the Test match and skipper Dimuth Karunaratne feared that there could be more players withdrawn.

“If you take the COVID situation there are several affected players and it is very difficult to say the combination. We have picked 13 players but before we select the final 11, we have another antigen test and from that we have to find whether there are any more positive cases and after that only we can announce our playing 11,” Karunaratne explained.

Australia have no such issues and they will be looking to further consolidate their position as world’s number one ranked team in official ICC Rankings. Captain Pat Cummins told journalists that the only change the tourists are considering is whether to bring in Glenn Maxwell into the equation to further strengthen their spin department. Spinners claimed 18 of the 20 Sri Lankan wickets in the first Test as the game ended before lunch on day three. Mitchell Starc is likely to be left out if they go in that direction.

“Maxwell provides us the spinning and bowling options as well. I thought he was the pick of the bowlers in the one-day series. He was excellent. All-round package that he brings in, particularly that bowling, you feel like you can easily get 15-20 overs out of him,” Cummins said.It will be quite a turnaround if the 33-year-old Maxwell is picked to play as he has not featured in a First Class game since 2019.

Sri Lanka (From) 

Dimuth Karunaratne (Captain), Pathum Nissanka, Angelo Mathews, Kamindu Mendis, Ramesh Mendis, Kusal Mendis, Niroshan Dickwella (Wicketkeeper), Dinesh Chandimal, Kasun Rajitha, Prabath Jayasuriya, Dunith Wellalage, Lakshan Sandakan and Maheesh Theekshana.

Australia (From)

David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Glenn Maxwell, Cameroon Green, Alex Carey, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Nathan Lyon and Mitchell Swepson.

Umpires:

Michael Gough (Eng) and Kumar Dharmasena (SRI)

Third Umpire:

Nitin Menon (Ind)

Match Referee:

Javagal Srinath (Ind)