Nishan Madushka to Don the Gloves as Sri Lanka Seek Early Seam Assistance at Lord’s
Colombo, August 29, 2024 – In a bid to turn the tables in the ongoing Test series against England, Sri Lanka have made a crucial change to their lineup for the second match at Lord’s. Wicketkeeper-batsman Nishan Madushka will be donning the gloves, replacing the injured Dinesh Chandimal who was struck on the hand during the first Test at Old Trafford.
Sri Lankan captain Dhananjaya de Silva, who opted to bowl first on a sunny morning, is hoping that his bowlers can capitalize on the early seam-friendly conditions at the iconic Chester le Street cricket ground. “There is always swing in the first hour, so we’re going to take that chance,” Dhananjaya said, drawing inspiration from the low-scoring affair between England and West Indies at the same venue last month.
However, England skipper Ollie Pope confirmed that he would have opted to bat first had he won the toss, citing the clear blue skies overhead. The hosts have made one change to their winning XI from the first Test, with Olly Stone earning his first Test cap in over two years, replacing the injured Mark Wood.
Sri Lanka, on the other hand, have made two changes to their lineup, dropping Kusal Mendis and Vishwa Fernando in favor of Pathum Nissanka and Lahiru Kumara. The visitors will be hoping that Nishan Madushka’s introduction behind the stumps can provide a fresh spark as they seek to level the series, having lost the opener by five wickets.
“Gameplan wise it will be the same [as the first Test] but we have to execute better than Manchester,” Dhananjaya asserted, determined to secure Sri Lanka’s first Test victory over England since 2014.
England:
- Dan Lawrence
- Ben Duckett
- Ollie Pope (capt)
- Joe Root
- Harry Brook
- Jamie Smith (wk)
- Chris Woakes
- Gus Atkinson
- Matthew Potts
- Olly Stone
- Shoaib Bashir
Sri Lanka:
- Dimuth Karunaratne
- Pathum Nissanka
- Nishan Madushka (wk)
- Angelo Mathews
- Dinesh Chandimal
- Dhananjaya de Silva (capt)
- Kamindu Mendis
- Milan Rathnayake
- Prabath Jayasuriya
- Asitha Fernando
- Lahiru Kumara
🔗 Source