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Sonal Dinusha set for Test debut today
The Island
|June 25, 2025
Sri Lanka have handed the Test cap to Sonal Dinusha, a 24-year-old left-hander with a golden arm, as they scramble to fill the sizeable void left by the retired Angelo Mathews. The second Test against Bangladesh starts today at the Sinhalese Sports Club.
The selectors had their task cut out, weighing the credentials of domestic run-machines Pasindu Sooriyabandara and Pawan Rathnayake. But Dinusha's dual skill set - solid middle-order batting and handy left-arm spin - tilted the scales in his favour.
He will slot in at number six, with skipper Dhananjaya de Silva set to move up the order to the pivotal number four slot vacated by Mathews.
"Given his ability to send down a few tidy overs, Sonal gets the nod," Dhananjaya said. "As for me, I'll step up to No. 4. Someone's got to take the bull by the horns."
This story is from the June 25, 2025 edition of The Island.
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