Sri Lanka call up Nishan Peiris for second New Zealand Test

Sri Lanka have added uncapped off-spinner Nishan Peiris to their squad for the second Test against New Zealand in Galle, starting on September 26 (Thursday). 

Meanwhile, injured seamer Vishwa Fernando has “developed a tightness in his right hamstring while practising” and has been sent to the high-performance centre for rehabilitation.

Fernando didn’t feature in the first Test, which Sri Lanka won by 63 runs. Sri Lanka went with only two seamers, and it’s highly unlikely they will do anything different in the second game. 

Peiris, 27, has 172 wickets in 41 first-class games at an average of 24.37. The off-spinner was picked in the Test squad in 2018 and in March earlier this year but didn’t get a chance to play. 

He could make his debut in the second Test, with Ramesh Mendis having a mediocre outing in the first encounter. The 29-year-old picked up six wickets but leaked runs at an economy of close to four. 

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