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Sri Lanka take on Afghanistan in historic Test

Sri Lanka will hope to revive their flagging Test fortunes when they take on Afghanistan in their historic one-off match starting at the SSC Grounds in Maitland Place today.The island nation is last on the World Test Championship Rankings and their previous match in October at the same ground saw a humiliating innings and 222-run loss to Pakistan in their worst ever home defeat.Dhananjaya de Silva, a middle-order batsman and handy off-spinner, takes charge with three uncapped players among the 16-member Sri Lanka Squad.

Bowlers Chamika Gunasekara and Milan Rathnayake alongside opener Lahiru Udara have been selected while fast bowler Kasun Rajitha, who missed the recent home series against Zimbabwe due to injury, is making a comeback into the side.Meanwhile, Afghanistan are making a name for themselves in white-ball cricket but have had less chance to impress in five-day matches since being granted Test status in 2017.Today’s match will be their first Test against Sri Lanka and eighth overall.

The visitors landed in Colombo on Tuesday missing star leg-spinner Rashid Khan who is recovering from back surgery. Qais Ahmad, who has featured in a single Test match, is his expected replacement.Afghanistan mainstay and opening batsman Ibrahim Zadran will drive the tourists’ attack and has an impressive white-ball record in Sri Lanka, where he notched up two of his five One Day International (ODI) hundreds.Skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi will likely be crucial with the bat as will teammates Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmat Shah.Both teams will play three ODIs in Kandy and three Twenty20I matches in Dambulla after the Test.

Sri Lanka Squad: Dhananjaya de Silva (Captain), Kusal Mendis, Dimuth Karunaratne, Nishan Madushka, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Ramesh Mendis, Asitha Fernando, Vishwa Fernando, Kasun Rajitha, Kamindu Mendis, Prabath Jayasuriya, Lahiru Udara, Chamika Gunasekara, and Milan Rathnayake.Afghanistan Squad: Hashmatullah Shahidi (Captain), Ibrahim Zadran, Abdul Malik, Noor Ali Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Bahir Shah, Nasir Jamal, Ikram Alikhil, Mohammad Ishaq, Qais Ahmad, Zia-ur-Rehman, Zahir Khan, Yamin Ahmadzai, Nijat Masood, Mohammad Saleem and Naveed Zadran.

Match Officials: Chris Broad - ICC Elite Referee. Michael Gough - ICC Elite Umpire. Alex Wharf - ICC Umpire. Chris Brown - ICC Umpire and Prageeth Rambukwella - ICC umpire.

(Source : Daily Mirror)