Nishan Peiris Makes Test Debut as Sri Lanka Faces New Zealand in Crucial Galle Match

Sri Lankan off-spinner Nishan Peiris will make his Test debut in Galle as Sri Lanka faces New Zealand in the second Test. Peiris replaces Ramesh Mendis, and Milan Rathnayake also joins the team. Both sides aim to convert strong individual performances into wins, with crucial World Test Championship points at stake.

Sri Lankan off-spinner Nishan Peiris will make his Test debut in Galle on Thursday in the second and final Test against New Zealand. The 27-year-old Peiris replaces dropped off-spinner Ramesh Mendis. Although Peiris was part of Sri Lanka's touring squad to Bangladesh earlier this year, he did not feature in any matches. His inclusion in the national team comes on the back of notable performances in domestic cricket.

Sri Lanka made two changes overall from its 63-run win in the opening Test, also held in Galle, with all-rounder Milan Rathnayake coming in for fast bowler Lahiru Kumara.

"One of our recent shortcomings has been the lack of contributions from the lower order, and we believe Milan Rathnayake can help address that issue," Sri Lanka batting coach Thilina Kandamby said.

"In Galle, it's crucial to post a substantial score in the first innings. We've managed to recover well after some poor starts, but we need to establish momentum from the outset. That's our goal heading into the second Test." New Zealand head coach Gary Stead saw lots of positives from the opening defeat.

"We had three players (Tom Latham, Kane Williamson and Daryl Mitchell) score half-centuries in the first innings, and Rachin Ravindra's knock of 92 in the second innings was particularly impressive,'' Stead said. ''Our focus now is on converting these promising starts into centuries.'' Stead said the team was ''confident of bouncing back, knowing that valuable points in the World Test Championship are at stake." Following defeat in the opening Test, New Zealand slipped from third to fourth in the WTC rankings. A win in the second Test would allow the Kiwis to reclaim the third spot.

___ Sri Lanka: Dimuth Karunaratne, Pathum Nissanka, Dinesh Chandimal, Angelo Mathews, Kamindu Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva (captain), Kusal Mendis, Milan Rathnayake, Prabath Jayasuriya, Asitha Fernando and Nishan Peiris.

(With inputs from agencies.)