Sri Lanka Playing 11 for 3rd Test against England announced; Kusal Mendis returns

On Thursday, September 5, the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) announced the playing XI of the Sri Lanka National Cricket Team for the third and final Test match of the series against the England National Cricket Team.

The third Test between the Lankan Lions and the Three Lions will be hosted by the Kennington Oval in London from September 6 to 10. England have already clinched the series by winning the first two matches and would be high on confidence heading into the final game.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka National Cricket Team have made two changes to their team for the third Test and will be trying their best to avoid a whitewash. The team management has decided to drop Nishan Madushka and Prabath Jayasuriya with Kusal Mendis and Vishwa Fernando replacing the duo in the XI.

Sri Lanka playing XI for 3rd Test: Dimuth Karunaratne, Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (wk), Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Dhananjaya de Silva (c), Kamindu Mendis, Milan Rathnayake, Lahiru Kumara, Vishwa Fernando, Asitha Fernando

Notably, Kusal Mendis was dropped from the team after the first Test but him being recalled gives an indication of the trust in his abilities by the team management. Also, the all-pace attack suggests that the surface will have no help for the seamers in the third Test.

Sri Lanka Performed Poorly In First Two Test Matches

The Dhananjaya de Silva-led side were not able to match the quality of the English team, and they delivered poor performances in the first two Tests. In the series-opening clash, the Islanders faced a 5-wicket defeat.

Skipper Dhananjaya de Silva (74) and Milan Rathnayake (72) showcased a terrific fight in the first innings while Kamindu Mendis (113), Dinesh Chandimal (79) and Angelo Mathews (65) starred with the bat in the second innings, but after all that grinding they only managed to give a 205-run target to England, which they chased comfortably. In terms of bowling, Asitha Fernando and Prabath Jayasuriya looked at the top of their game. However, their efforts were not enough to secure a win.

Then, the action moved towards the Lord's and the Lankan Lions were decimated by Joe Root and Gus Atkinson. Root delivered a historical performance in that game with his twin centuries as he became England's leading century-maker, while Atkinson delivered a great all-round performance, becoming the only third English cricketer to bag a double of five-for and a century in a Test match. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka reduced England to 82/3 before allowing them to reach 427/10.

When they came to bat, they looked miserable against the home team's bowling attack, and if not for Kamindu Mendis' sensational 74 runs knock, they would have gotten all-out below the score of 150. Eventually, they posted 196 runs on the board. Then, Sri Lanka bowled well and the hosts were bundled out for 251, setting a target of 483 runs for visitors. In the end, the Dhananjaya de Silva-led side were bowled out for 292, losing the match by a huge margin of 190 runs.