Roshen Silva

Sri Lanka flew five Test players Saturday to join a 17-member squad for the two Tests against the West Indies at the end of the ongoing limited overs tournament.

The gala opening of DNI Mangalore Premier League got a touch of Sri Lankan flavour with two of their international cricketers Roshen Silva and Milinda Siriwardana inaugurating the fourth edition of this KSCA approved T20 cricket tournament at Dr B R Ambedkar Stadium at Panambur on Tuesday.

Organised to mark the 70th year of Sri Lankan independence, the series saw good fighting cricket in all the seven games including the thrilling last ball six that Dinesh Karthik struck to give India the trophy, he noted.

Fast bowler Suranga Lakmal has been named the vice-captain for the Bangladesh Test series, Sri Lanka Cricket announced on Saturday.

Aware of the challenge that the Indian spinners are likely to pose in the Test series, the Sri Lankan batsmen on Friday focused on tackling the turning ball ahead of their warm-up against Board President's XI on Saturday.

Soft-spoken Sri Lankan captain Dinesh Chandimal said youngsters with "good attitude" are always able to produce results after his team eked out a hard-earned draw against India in the third Test.

Mathews, 33, did not make the South Africa trip because of a hamstring injury but is expected to line up against England in matches that count towards the inaugural World Test championship.

Dinesh Chandimal-led Sri Lankan squad today arrived for their six-week tour of India, which starts here with the first of the three-Test series, beginning on November 16.

Starting day five of the third and final India vs Sri Lanka Test at 31 for three, the visitors faced an uphill task in order to save the match at the Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi; and they did a commendable job with Dhaananjaya de Silva (119) and Roshen Silva (74*) bringing fortitude to the fore that was missing from Sri Lanka for most part of the three-match series.

A number of other players have improved their rankings, following impressive performances in the just-concluded Tests. India-off spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has gained a place to be seventh in the latest ICC bowlers' rankings.India captain Virat Kohli has maintained his number one position in the batsmen rankings. Jonny Bairstow, Mominul Haque and Yasir Shah gained too.

Sri Lankan captain Dimuth Karunaratne said his team was not fazed by the return of Bangladesh's star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan ahead of the first Test starting Sunday in Chittagong.

The fifth bowler, during Kohli’s reign, has only catalyzed what seemed like inevitable results on comforting pitches in the last 18 months.

Sri Lanka have long been feared for their spin bowlers but the team has decided that speed is the future, and it will be tested against Bangladesh from Wednesday.

While England only needs a draw in Galle to clinch another Test series in Sri Lanka, it's a result that will be far from the minds of Joe Root's lineup when the second Test starts Friday.

A resurgent West Indies are aiming for their first Test victory in Sri Lanka from Sunday, having failed to win on the island in three decades of trying. In 11 attempts, they have lost seven games and drawn four.

Sri Lanka hold out for a draw as De Silva plays through pain to score century; India win a record ninth series in succession

Sri Lanka who will play their first Test in India since 2009-10 have a forgettable record in the country as they are yet to win from 16 appearances and have suffered 10 defeats in their head-to-head record spanning 1982-2017.

India would look to continue their ruthless streak while Sri Lanka would want to forget the annihilation suffered at home and chase what has been an improbable dream of winning a Test here when the two teams clash in a three-match series, starting here tomorrow.

Having earned the psychological edge by blowing the Sri Lankan top and middle order during the final session of the drawn first Test, the hosts will once again play on a green track at the Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA) Stadium in Jamtha.