Randiv, Prasanna make comeback to Sri Lankan squad

Colombo: Off-spinner Suraj Randiv forced his way back into the Sri Lankan team for the upcoming two-match Test series against England, scheduled to commence from March 26 in the southern port town of Galle.

The other cricketer to make a return to the squad is wicket-keeper Prasanna Jayawardene, who was forced out of action against South Africa late last year due to an injury. 27-year-old Randiv, who was dropped from the team following an inconsistent run, has pegged his way back into the national team on the back of some strong performances in the domestic circuit. In five first-class matches this domestic season, the tweaker picked up 37 wickets for his club. The offie will pair with Rangana Herath to shoulder Sri Lanka`s spin department, which is going to be a key against the No 1 Test nation on the traditionally slow wickets. Mahela Jayawardene will lead Sri Lanka for the first time in a Test series since his return to the helm after taking over from Tillakaratne Dilshan earlier this year. Angelo Mathews has been named his deputy. However, the middle-order batsman Chamara Silva, who scored 163 runs against England in the warm-up game, has been left out. The mystery bowler, Ajantha Mendis has also been left out of the 14-member squad. Apart from Mendis, the other players who could not retain their place in the team include Thisara Perera, Dilhara Fernando, Dimuth Karunaratne, Kaushal Silva, Kanishka Alvitigala and Nuwan Pradeep. All of them were part of the visiting Sri Lankan team to South Africa last year. Medium pacer Suranga Lakmal also made a return to the national side after missing out against South Africa due to an ankle injury. Squad: Mahela Jayawardene (capt), Angelo Mathews (vice-capt), Tillakaratne Dilshan, Tharanga Paranavitana, Lahiru Thirimanne, Kumar Sangakkara, Thilan Samaraweera, Dinesh Chandimal, Prasanna Jayawardene (wk), Suranga Lakmal, Dhammika Prasad, Chanaka Welegedera, Suraj Randiv, Rangana Herath. PTI