Follow UsAll-rounder Ramesh Mendis has been added to Sri Lanka's squad for the second Test against Australia in Galle, according to a report on ESPNCricinfo. According to the same report, the 29-year-old joined the squad on February 3 (Monday). He was initially dropped from the series after a poor show against New Zealand.
Mendis' inclusion has further boosted Sri Lanka's spin attack, which already includes Prabath Jayasuriya, Nishan Peiris and Jeffrey Vandersay.
He has been in excellent form in the Major League Tournament, where he has claimed 24 wickets at 21.91 and hit 260 runs at 52 in six innings. This move comes after Sri Lanka succumbed to their biggest defeat in the previous Test — losing by an innings and 242 runs after allowing Australia to put on over 650 runs.
All of Mendis' 15 Tests have come in Asia, and he has managed to pick up 69 wickets at 30.65 in them. In the two Tests he has played against Australia so far, Mendis has picked up just seven wickets at 40.85, which are not great numbers, but it is his current form in domestic cricket that has caught the selectors' attention.
Australia, who have already qualified for the World Test Championship (WTC) final, are 1-0 up in the two-match series. A win or draw in the second game will see the Steven Smith-led side win their first series on Sri Lankan soil since 2011.