Udara replaces injured Nissanka in SL Test squad for Pakistan tour

Sri Lanka had given Nissanka every chance of recovering in time, naming him in both the ODI and Test squads subject to fitness, but now the hope is to get him back to full fitness in time for Sri Lanka's tour of India in December.

Nissanka's misfortune is a lifeline for Udara, who might have felt hard done by after being initially dropped from the Test side. The 32-year-old right-hand batter, who has 8771 first-class runs at an average of 42.57, made a late start to his international career, but had repaid the faith shown in him with a maiden Test century during Sri Lanka's tour of the West Indies earlier this year. That, however, followed a lean string of performances as Sri Lanka hosted India for a pair of Tests, after which he was dropped.

Nissanka had missed the India Tests too, at the time recovering from wrist surgery, which had seen him withdraw following the first Test against the West Indies. That itself had been Nissanka's first Test since June 2025, when he had scored back-to-back centuries against Bangladesh. Nissanka's exclusion from the Test side during that period had also been down to injury management.

Having made his debut in 2021, Nissanka has solidified his place across formats, marking him as one of the few all-format stars for Sri Lanka. His 19 Tests have reaped 1310 runs at an average of 42.25, including four hundreds and seven fifties.