Sri Lankan spinner Wanindu Hasaranga reverses Test retirement decision

Wanindu Hasaranga, the Sri Lankan spinner, has reversed his Test retirement decision and has been selected for the two-match Test series against Bangladesh, beginning on March 22. Hasaranga, who retired from Test cricket last year, is making a comeback for the ICC World Test Championship series against Bangladesh starting March 22. Since his Test debut in 2020, Hasaranga has played in only four Tests, scoring 196 runs with one fifty in seven innings and taking four wickets, according to ICC records. He is part of a robust spin attack alongside Prabath Jayasuriya, Ramesh Mendis, and all-rounders Nishan Peiris and Kamindu Mendis. Dhananjaya de Silva remains the Test skipper, with Kusal Mendis as his deputy. The Test series will commence in Sylhet, followed by the second Test in Chattogram starting March 30. Additionally, Litton Das, the former captain and wicketkeeper-batter of Bangladesh, is making a return to the Test side after missing the previous series against New Zealand due to paternity leave. Najmul Hossain Shanto took Litton’s place as captain. Litton played in 39 Test matches, scoring 2394 runs at an average of 36.27. In 28 of these games, Litton was assigned as the wicketkeeper. Nurul Hasan, who kept wickets in place of Litton in the home Test series against New Zealand, is not included in the squad. The 15-member squad also includes newbie pacers, Nahid Rana and Mushfik Hasan, while senior pacer Ebadot Hossain remains sidelined due to a knee injury sustained last year, causing him to miss the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in India.