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Dhananjaya de Silva feels that his teammates from Sri Lanka will benefit especially from their hitters’ exploits in England, where he thinks they will gain more opportunities in county cricket.
Counties have been permitted to have two foreign players in their starting eleven for every format since 2021. Due in part to their tour commitments, Sri Lanka’s team has mainly been disregarded, despite a number of players with little to no international experience landing deals thanks to a reduction of visa requirements.
With three outings for Yorkshire and two for Durham at the end of the previous season, Vishwa Fernando is the only one of the eighteen-man touring group to play in the Championship this year. Previously, Asitha Fernando (two games for Nottinghamshire) and Dimuth Karunaratne (three games for Yorkshire) have both appeared.
In Manchester, Dinesh Chandimal disclosed his unsuccessful attempts to obtain a county contract. Chandimal, who has 15 Test hundreds, stated, “I wanted to get a county deal the last few years.” “I’m still not getting it. I’m hoping to be selected by one of the counties if I perform well in this series. To participate in a county cricket season is my ambition.”
Dhananjaya affirmed his personal desire to participate in the Championship in a statement made prior to Thursday’s second Test at Lord’s.
“Playing in these conditions will be better for the batsmen,” he added. “This is the only time we get this opportunity while we are on tour. However, it will benefit the batsmen if they can play county cricket.”
With three months off following the Champions Trophy, Sri Lanka’s international calendar may allow their Test players to compete in the county season’s early going. Although Wanindu Hasaranga, who is not in their Test team, has signed twice for Manchester Originals in the Hundred, SLC has refused to grant him a No-Objection Certificate.
According to Dhananjaya, Sri Lanka is well-prepared for the second Test and will make two changes: Pathum Nissanka, who has performed well in ODIs this year, and Lahiru Kumara will take the places of Kusal Mendis and Vishwa Fernando. “Overall, Pathum is the best batter in the country at the moment,” stated Dhananjaya. “He has a good mindset and he has a good technique.”
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Additionally, he downplayed Mark Wood’s absence, implying that Chris Woakes had been more difficult to handle. Dhananjaya remarked, “The line and length are what bother me, not the speed.” “Our issue is with the swinging ball, not the pace; the opening bowler bowls in one spot for 20 to 30 balls. We’ll succeed if this plan goes as planned.”
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