Left arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya, Sri Lanka’s second Test hero against Australia last week will be joined by uncapped schoolboy spinner Dunith Wellalage for the two-Test series against Pakistan starting on Saturday at the Galle International Cricket Stadium.
Jayasuriya picked up 12 scalps in the second Test when Sri Lanka beat Australia to draw the series 1-1 and is likely to be propped up by Wellalage who did well in the white ball series against the same opposition.
In bringing Wellalage into an 18-member squad, Sri Lanka has dropped two other left arm spinners Praveen Jayawickrema and Lasith Embuldeniya who played in the first Test against Australia that the host team lost.
Much was expected from Embuldeniya in the first Test against Australia on the spinning wicket at Galle, but he succeeded in taking just one wicket.
If Wellalage makes his Test debut, it could be a fiery baptism for him playing against Pakistan, a team that is considered the best against spinners on slow pitches.
The Sri Lanka squad has two other spinners in Mahesh Theekshana and Jeffrey Vandersay.
All eyes will also be on batsman Dinesh Chandimal who stroked an unbeaten 206 in the first innings of the second Test against Australia that turned the contest in favour of the home team to draw the series that was part of the World Test Championship.
Like Chandimal, Sri Lanka was also fortunate to see the return to form of batsman Kusal Mendis in the second Test against Australia.
The first Test will be played from July 16 in Galle followed by the second from July 24 in Colombo.
The series is part of the World Test Championship with Sri Lanka place third and Pakistan fourth in the rankings.
Sri Lanka squad:
Dimuth Karunaratne (captain), Pathum Nissanka Silva, Oshada Fernando, Angelo Mathews, Kusal Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva, Kamindu Mendis, Niroshan Dickwella, Dinesh Chandimal, Ramesh Mendis, Maheesh Theekshana, Kasun Rajitha, Vishwa Fernando, Asitha Fernando, Dilshan Madushanka, Prabath Jayasuriya, Dunith Wellalage, Jeffrey Vandersay
Pakistan squad:
Babar Azam (captain), Abdullah Shafique, Agha Salman, Azhar Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Fawad Alam, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Naseem Shah, Nauman Ali, Sarfaraz Ahamed, Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood, Yasir Shah