Wanindu Hasaranga, a leg spinner for Sri Lanka, has been called up to the 17-man squad for the two-match series in Bangladesh, after retiring from Test cricket. August 2023 saw Hasaranga declare his retirement from Test cricket in an attempt to extend his career in white-ball cricket. He was selected as the national team’s shortest format captain less than a year before the T20 World Cup.
But now that he’s a part of the Test series, which begins on March 22 and ends on April 3, it will have an impact on his involvement in the Indian Premier League. Sunrisers Hyderabad, who acquired him for a base fee of INR 1.5 crore, will be without him for their opening three games of the season on March 23, 27, and 31 if the second Test continues for the full five days. As it stands on April 5, their fourth game—the final one of the season’s first half—will likewise be close.
One of the two changes Sri Lanka made to the team that faced Afghanistan in the one-off Test last month was the addition of Hasaranga. Asitha Fernando and Milan Priyanth Rathnayake were left out, despite the fact that Hasaranga and off-spinner Nishan Peiris were called in.
The series’ first Test is scheduled to start in Sylhet on March 22. The second game is scheduled to start in Chattogram on March 30.
Dhananjaya De Silva, Kusal Mendis, Dimuth Karunaratne, Nishan Madushka, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Kamindu Mendis, Lahiru Udara, Wanindu Hasaranga, Prabath Jayasuriya, Ramesh Mendis, Nishan Peiris, Kasun Rajitha, Vishwa Fernando, Lahiru Kumara, Chamika Gunasekara comprise the Sri Lankan Test squad.
