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Sri Lanka v England, 3rd Test, Galle

Dilshan replaces Mubarak for final Test

Sa'adi Thawfeeq

December 14, 2007

Tillakaratne Dilshan was included in the squad for the third Test after missing the tour of Australia © Getty Images

Sri Lanka have made two changes to their line-up for the final Test against England, bringing middle-order batsman Tillakaratne Dilshan and uncapped fast bowler Chanaka Welegedara into their 13-man squad.

Dilshan was making a comeback after being dropped from the squad for the tour to Australia in November. He replaced Jehan Mubarak, who scored only 18 runs in the first two Tests against England. Dilshan forced himself into the side by scoring 467 runs at an average of 58.37 in the on-going Premier limited-overs tournament. He also scored the tournament's highest individual score - 188 off 135 balls.

Welegedara came in for Dilhara Fernando, who was nursing an injury and needed to have ankle surgery in Australia. Welegedara, uncapped at the international level in both Tests and ODIs, has 123 wickets at an average of 24.23 after playing 43 first-class games.

Sri Lanka Cricket chief executive Duleep Mendis said that Fernando played the first two Tests after receiving pain-killing injections but he had been uncomfortable while bowling. "We tried to postpone the surgery until after the end of the Test series, said Mendis. "But it has reached a stage where Dilhara can no longer carry on with injections."

Sri Lanka lead the three-Test series 1-0 with the final Test beginning in Galle on Tuesday. It will be the first Test in Galle since the stadium was destroyed by the Tsunami in 2004.

Squad: Mahela Jayawardene (capt), Kumar Sangakkara, Michael Vandort, Upul Tharanga, Chamara Silva, Prasanna Jayawardene (wk), Chaminda Vaas, Muttiah Muralitharan, Lasith Malinga, Sujeewa De Silva, Chanaka Welegedera, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Malinga Bandara.

© Cricinfo