Sri Lanka announce that opener Pathum Nissanka is ruled out of their upcoming Test series against Pakistan. The decision follows continued recovery from a left hamstring injury first reported in September, with outlets noting he has not regained full fitness.
Lahiru Udara is named as Nissanka’s replacement and joins the touring party already in Pakistan. Times of India and Yahoo Sports add that Kusal Mendis will captain the side, with Dinesh Chandimal and Dhananjaya de Silva among the experienced players in the group.
ESPN Cricinfo also reports that Nissanka misses more than the Tests, saying he has already sat out Sri Lanka’s T20Is and ODIs due to the same hamstring issue. Overall, the coverage across outlets largely agrees on the injury, the Test-series impact, and Udara’s call-up, with some differences mainly in how much squad leadership detail is included.
