Sri Lanka’s left-arm spinner Praveen Jayawickrama tested positive for Covid-19 on Monday (July 4). He became the second Sri Lankan cricketer, after Angelo Mathews, who tested positive for COVID.
Sri Lanka has called up spinners Maheesh Theekshana, Dunith Wellalage, and Lakshitha Manasinghe for the second Test against Australia in Galle, which begins from July 6 onwards.
Theekshana and Wellalage are yet to make their Test debuts but played a key role in Sri Lanka's ODI series win over Australia recently. The 19-year-old left-arm spinner was the leading wicket-taker in the five-match ODI series with 9 wickets.
The 19-year-old Wellalage, who is also a left-arm spinner, was the leading wicket-taker in the ODI series with nine at 22.33 and could also add depth to Sri Lanka's batting order if he debuts.
Offspinner Manasinghe, 22, played in the four-day series against Australia A last month where he collected 13 wickets across the two matches in Hambantota.
Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) confirmed that the rest of the Sri Lankan players tested negative for the coronavirus while Jayawickrama and Mathews are still in isolation.
Notably, Sri Lanka suffered a 10-wicket defeat in the first Test and they would like to save the final Test to draw the Test series against Australia at home.
The hosts released the left-arm spinner Lasith Embuldeniya from the Test squad after he went wicketless in the first Test against Australia.
(With AFP Inputs)
