Sri Lanka 12-man squad for second Test against South Africa announced

Sri Lanka National Cricket Team have announced their 12-man squad for the second Test against the South Africa National Cricket Team. The last game of the two-match series between the teams will be played at St George's Park in Gqeberha from Thursday (5th December).

The Sri Lanka National Cricket Team have almost named the same team for the second Test against the South Africa National Cricket Team. However, they have added all-rounder Milan Ratnayake into the mix for the match, as per the Journalist of the Island Nation.

The report claimed that the selection of the XI will depend on the pitch. It is learned that the pitch at St George's Park in Gqeberha has a bit of grass cover, and if the grass stays there on the morning of the match, then they will go an all-seam attack, adding Milan Ratnayake into the team for the second Test.

Milan Ratnayake will be replacing Prabath Jayasuriya in the playing XI if conditions permit

Milan Ratnayake will be replacing Prabath Jayasuriya in the playing XI of the Sri Lanka National Cricket Team for the second Test against the South Africa National Cricket Team. However, it is reported that if the grass is taken out tomorrow, the visitors will stick to the same XI from the first game.

SL have named their 12 for Port Elizabeth. All-rounder Milan Ratnayake comes into midst along with Durban 11. Bit of grass cover on the pitch might prompt them to go for all seam attack leaving out Prabath Jayasuriya. But if grass is taken out tomorrow, they’ll stick to same XI.

— Rex Clementine (@RexClementine) December 4, 2024

This means that the Sri Lanka National Cricket Team will be continuing with the same batting lineup, which failed in the first game. Pathum Nissanka and Dimuth Karunaratne will be opening the innings for the team in the second Test and would want to provide the team with a great start.

Veterans Dinesh Chandimal and Angelo Matthews will be batting at No.3 and No.4 for the team. While the former had a great outing with the bat in the first game, the all-rounder struggled to get going in the opening match. He would want to step up for his team in a series decider.

Kamindu Mendis, skipper Dhananjaya de Silva, and keeper Kusal Mendis will be handling the middle-order duties for the team. Vishwa Fernando, Lahiru Kumara, and Asitha Fernando will be the three pacers, while one among Prabath Jayasuriya or Milan Ratnayake will complete the team.

Sri Lanka National Cricket Team Playing XI For Second Test Against South Africa

Here's the playing XI of the Sri Lanka National Cricket Team for the second Test against South Africa:

Pathum Nissanka, Dimuth Karunaratne, Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Matthews, Kamindu Mendis, Prabath Jayasuriya/ Milan Ratnayake, Dhananjaya de Silva (C), Kusal Mendis (wk), Vishwa Fernando, Asitha Fernando, Lahiru Kumara

Sri Lanka faced a shambolic 233-run loss in the first Test against South Africa

The Sri Lanka National Cricket Team faced a shambolic loss in the first Test against the South Africa National Cricket Team. They opted to field first and they restricted the opposition to just 191 runs. However, after that they got all out for just 41 runs, conceding a massive lead.

The Proteas Team then made sure that they extended their lead and posted a total of 366 runs, setting a target of over 500 runs. The Island nation, in response, got all out for 282 runs and went on to lose the game by a massive margin of 233 runs.

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