By BIPIN DANI
Sri Lankan pace bowler Suranga Lakmal returns to the national Test squad which has been chosen for the forthcoming Zimbabwe tour.
According to the highly placed sources, the 33-year-old right arm fast bowler will replace Ashita Fernando.
"Otherwise it is the same team that toured Pakistan (for the two Tests in Rawalpindi and Karachi in December) will be in Zimbabwe", the source at the SLC, said.
Incidentally, Lakmal was originally chosen for the Pakistan tour but had to be last-minute dropped because of the dengue illness and Ashita Fernando was included in the side. The late comer Ashita Fernando, however, was not included in the final eleven.
In the meantime, it is also learnt that Sri Lanka's tour of Zimbabwe is not hastily arranged as reported in certain section of the press.
"It was already in pipe line and even the selectors had picked the Zimbabwe-bound team before recent India tour (where the T-20I series was lost)", the source added.
The team has been sent for the sports minister's approval.
Dimuth Karunratne's team is scheduled to play two Tests (not to be recorded in World Test Championships) in Harare on January 19-23 and 27-31).
The team with the same support staff members will leave (via Dubai) on wee hours on Thursday.
