Three additional Covid-19 positive instances have shaken Sri Lanka's Test team ahead of Friday's second Test match against Australia.
Three players who participated in the first Test, including key batsman Dhananjaya de Silva, bowler Asitha Fernando, and spinner Jeffrey Vandersay, all returned positive Covid tests on Wednesday, excluding them from the series decider.
The number of Sri Lankan players who have tested positive for the virus in the last week now stands at five.
A Rapid Antigen Test performed on Wednesday revealed that all three players were positive. The remainder of the Test squad's players and support staff completed another Rapid Antigen Test following the most recent positive results. All came back empty.
While Fernando, Dhananjaya, and Vandersay have been moved to a separate hotel and are now alone, The same hotel was where Praveen Jayawickrama was also transferred. Lakshan Sandakan was added to the team in the interim.
The fact that former captain Angelo Mathews will be eligible for the second Test is fantastic news for the hosts. Mathews was forced to leave the field midway through the game because he tested positive during the first Test last week.
The most recent batch of Covid positive cases resulted in the loss of several important players for Sri Lanka, including their best fast bowler from the first Test (Fernando), their No. 5 who has a Test tonne against Australia and whose useful off-spin took out Travis Head (Dhananjaya), and their wrist-spinner (Vandersay).
Fernando should be replaced by Kasun Rajitha, a right-arm paceman who had 11 wickets in Sri Lanka's previous two-Test series against Bangladesh, including a five-for in Dhaka.
According to a report on cricket.com.au, Kamindu Mendis, a batting all-rounder who has previously gained attention for his ability to bowl finger spin with both limbs, appears to be the only player who compares to Dhananjaya.
Oshada Fernando, the batter who took Mathews' place during the first Test, is another candidate to keep Dhanajaya's spot.
Even without the addition of Sandakan, who made his Test debut against Australia in 2016 but hasn't played since 2018, Sri Lanka has more options on the spin front. The two left-arm spin alternatives are the uncapped combo of Dunith Wellalage and Prabath Jayasuriya, while sly mystery tinker Maheesh Theekshana, who impressed in the limited-overs series, could possibly support veteran off-spinner Rameesh Mendis.