SL drops failed Mendis from Test squad

Chris Silverwood has hailed Joe Root's ever-improving captaincy as England take aim at a fifth successive away Test victory, and admits he is already relishing the Ashes following Australia's series defeat against India.India pulled off a spectacular victory at the Gabba on Tuesday to clinch the series and Silverwood, when asked about Australia, said it is "always nice to see the opposition under pressure".Victory in first Test a personal and team triumph for Root's depleted EnglandRead moreEngland will be focused on regaining the Ashes this year and Silverwood is excited by the prospect.

England's selectors have chose to rest Jonny Bairstow, Sam Curran and Mark Wood, who are now in Sri Lanka while Craig Overton will also return home after the second Test in the island nation. Stuart Broad played in the first Test but may get a rest. Following this, the English players will travel to India for a two-month long tour comprising four-match Test series followed by 5 T20I Internationals and 3 One Day Internationals. Our boys back in the hotel were taking an interest and I think majority appeared for lunch after India had won.

"That's a lovely compliment", said Root, "but I suppose the challenge for me and us as a batting group is to look to try to better that again". Burns also missed the Sri Lanka Tests on paternity leave. If we need to break a tour up to get people in and get people out for their own good and for England's good then we'll do it.

The tourists are due to shuffle their pace options in the second game, but it is the return of Stokes and Archer for the India series that excites Root. "You speak to any side in the world, those two guys coming back into it would give the squad a huge boost and it's certainly the case for us", he said. But we have got a lot of hard work to do before we get there.

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"They're two fine players, and all the experience they can get from this winter will improve their game, make them more rounded and serve them really well for the rest of their careers".

Jos Buttler will also be rested for the last three Tests in India as part of England's rotation policy to keep players fresh for an "incredibly congested" fixture list of 17 Tests this year plus various white ball series and a Twenty20 World Cup.

He played his first Test match last week since Dec 2019; his only cricket apart from three T20s since the end of last summer, and performed well.

'The most important thing, I think, is that they have planned well before they come to the series, ' Chandimal said. If you look, we've Wood, Stone and Jofra Archer who can also hit 90-plus miles per hour. "I think as far as I am concerned that is the secret behind their team (success)".