Cricket: Sri Lanka name young squad for NZ tour

Sri Lankan captain Angelo Mathews. Photo / AP

Sri Lanka will continue their development post the Sangakkara/Jayawardene era when they arrive in New Zealand next month.

The touring squads to play New Zealand in all three forms of the game were named overnight.

The test and ODI groups will be led by Angelo Mathews, among the foremost players in the game, and include classy left arm spinner Rangana Herath, young fast bowlers and promising batsmen.

However the retirements of star pair Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene earlier this year leave a sizeable hold in the Sri Lankan batting group.

Sri Lanka beat the West Indies comfortably 2-0 at home last month, opener Dimuth Karunaratne hitting 186 in the first test innings win in Galle, where stocky 37-year-old Herath took 10 or 147.

But Mathews shapes as the key figure. The world's sixth-ranked test batsman - sandwiched between transtasman series batting stars Kane Williamson and David Warner - averages 51.43.

Herath, who has taken 293 wickets in 65 tests, is ranked ninth among test bowlers.
The T20 squad will be led by colourful, and formidable fast bowler Lasith Malinga. It is Sri Lanka's best form of the game. They are the world's No 1 side in the shortest game, while New Zealand are seventh.

New Zealand have the edge in the other two forms, fifth in tests, fourth in ODIs, to Sri Lanka's seventh and fifth respectively.

The tour starts with the first test in Dunedin from December 10. The second follows in Hamilton starting on Deember 18, with five ODIs and two T20s to round off the tour.

Test squad: Angelo Mathews (captain), Kusal Mendis, Udara Jayasundera, Dinesh Chandimal, Kusal Perera, Milinda Siriwardana, Kithuruwan Vithanage, Dimuth Karunaratne, Dhammika Prasad, Nuwan Pradeep, Suranga Lakmal, Dushmantha Chameera, Rangana Herath, Dilruwan Perera, Jeffrey Vandersay