Kusal Mendis, Vishwa Fernando return for Oval Test against England

Sri Lanka have announced their playing XI for the third Test against England at The Oval. Kusal Mendis and Vishwa Fernando come into the side in place of Nishan Madushka and Prabath Jayasuriya. With Jayasuriya not part of the XI, Sri Lanka do not have any frontline spinner, but Kamindu Mendis and Dhananjaya de Silva can roll their arm over when required.

In his four innings, Madushka has managed 24 runs. He scored 4 and 0 at Old Trafford, and followed that up with seven and 13 in the next game at Lord's. The 32-year-old Jayasuriya struggled at Lord's, managing just a couple of wickets while leaking plenty of runs.

Mendis returns after being dropped for the second Test, having scored 24 runs across the two innings in the first Test. He has not had a particularly good 2024, having managed just 148 runs in seven innings, with 93 of them coming against Bangladesh. 

Fernando comes in to give Sri Lanka a different dimension with his left-arm angle. He returns for The Oval Test after picking up just a couple of wickets in the first Test. Ollie Pope-led England have already named their XI for the game, with 20-year-old pacer Josh Hull set to make his debut, replacing Matthew Potts.

England have already clinched the three-match series, winning the first Test in Manchester by five wickets. They followed that up with a comprehensive 190-run victory at Lord's.

Sri Lanka XI for third Test vs England: 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

If you’ve not downloaded the Cricket.com app yet, you’re missing out — big time. Play Fantasy on Cricket.com NOW! Download the App here.