The 17-year old was identified as Matheesha Pathirana of Kandy's Trinity College and his figures of 6/7 on his debut for the domestic side amazed one and all.
Ehsan Mani said on Friday they are positive that Sri Lanka will turn up for the series as there has been no negative feedback from their Cricket Board.
Famous for his "carrom ball", Mendis snapped 70 wickets in 19 Tests, 152 in 87 ODIs and 66 in 39 T20Is but he couldn't prolong his career due to injuries and loss of form.
Needing 187 runs in the second innings to make New Zealand bat again, Sri Lanka was bowled out for 122 runs in the final session as the series ended in a 1-1 draw.
Collin de Grandhomme smashed five sixes and five boundaries in a 75-ball 83 not out and shared an unbroken 113-run partnership for the sixth wicket with BJ Watling who made an unbeaten 81.
Niroshan Dickwella, the left-handed wicket-keeper batsman, has been named as Malinga's deputy in the 15-member squad for the home series.
Karunaratne led from the front with a crafty 122 as Sri Lanka chased down 268 with relative ease, bettering the previous record chase in this venue.
The 31-year-old, however, insisted that they need bowlers who have the ability of picking up wickets at crucial junctures of the game, especially following Malinga's retirement from ODI cricket.
Following the World Cup debacle, the entire coaching staff excluding the trainer Nick Lee, had been asked to resign.
Mitchell Santner, who played his most recent Test against the West Indies in December 2017, missed most of last year with a knee injury.
Sri Lanka chased down the moderate target of 239 quite easily in 45th over with opener Avishka Fernando's 82 and Angelo Mathews' unbeaten 52.
Hathurusingha was under pressure to quit after Sri Lanka's dismal showing in the recent World Cup.
Jayasundara, a performance analyst at Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), has been provisionally suspended with immediate effect.
Dilhara Lokuhettige, a former medium pacer who played nine ODIs and two T20Is for Sri Lanka, has been charged with three counts of breaching the ICC Anti-Corruption Code and given 14 days to respond.
Jayasuriya was questioned as part of the ICC's investigation of wide-scale corruption in Sri Lankan cricket and charged under articles 2.4.6 and 2.4.7 of ICC's code of conduct.
Jayasuriya was questioned as part of the ICC's investigation of wide-scale corruption in Sri Lankan cricket.
The SLC election was slated to be held on February 2 but was postponed by two weeks as per the advice of the Attorney General.
Dananjaya was suspended from bowling after being reported during the first Test against England last year in November and subsequently underwent an independent assessment of his bowling action.
The captain of Colombo's Nondescripts Cricket Club posted scores of 201 in his first innings and 231 in his second in a match against Sinhalese Sports Club.
Thirty-year-old Karunaratne, who was 46 not out when he was hit in the back of the neck by a bouncer from Cummins, fell to the ground dropping his bat before the Australian cricketers ran for help.
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