Sri Lanka have included pace spearhead Lasith Malinga in their 15-man squad for the Cricket World Cup despite concerns over his fitness after ankle surgery, the country's cricket board said on Wednesday.
Chasing an improbable target of 490 to level the series, the tourists finished day three on 139-5, their highest total in the spin-dominated series, at Colombo's Sinhalese Sports Club Ground.
Having taken a handy 139-run first-innings lead, England declared their second innings on 322 for six to set Sri Lanka an improbable 462-run victory target.
The veteran left-hander was unbeaten on 160 as Sri Lanka reached the close of play on 314 for five after captain Angelo Mathews had won the toss and opted to bat.
Experienced Pakistan batsmen Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq both scored centuries to put their team firmly in control of the opening Test against Sri Lanka in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.
Sri Lanka stunned tournament hosts England by completing a 20-run victory at Headingley. Lasith Malinga was player of the match after taking 4/43 to rip through England's batting attack.
Steven Smith and Shaun Marsh hit centuries but Sri Lanka spinner Rangana Herath picked up six wickets to restrict Australia's first-innings lead to 24 runs on the third day of the third and final Test on Monday.
Chasing 476 for victory, Sri Lanka were all out for 212.
Sri Lanka ended the day at the score of 64/3, still trailing the hosts by 127 runs.
Sri Lanka opener Kaushal Silva has recovered from a blow to the head he suffered while fielding last weekend to be named in the test squad for next month's tour of England.
Here is a factbox on the third and final Test between India and Sri Lanka beginning at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium in New Delhi on Saturday:
Captain Graeme Cremer picked up three wickets with his leg spin to help Zimbabwe reduce hosts Sri Lanka to 293 for seven at the end of the second day in their one-off Test at the R Premadasa Stadium on Saturday.
The Sri Lankan team, which arrived hours after a delegation of its security experts had checked in, was taken directly from the old Karachi airport tarmac to the VIP lounge amid heavy security.
Root said that spinning tracks will throw challenges to the visiting team but they are adapting to the conditions quickly.
South Africa need five wickets on Friday to secure victory in the first Test after Sri Lanka provided dogged resistance and were 240 for five at stumps on the fourth day at St George's Park in Port Elizabeth.
Pakistan government pledged the same level of security to Sri Lankan cricketers as is provided to visiting heads of state.
Sri Lanka needed a little over 26 overs to chase down a 153-run victory target for a series-levelling seven-wicket victory in the second Test against Pakistan on Monday.
While Sri Lanka will be fancying their chances against a lowly South African side, the Proteas would be more than keen to make a statement against the 1996 winners.
South Africa need six more wickets with two days still to play to win the second Test against Sri Lanka, who closed the third day at Newlands on Wednesday on 130 for four, still 377 runs behind the mammoth target set them. Vernon Philander and Kagiso Rabada both took two wickets in the Sri Lankan second innings as the home team closed in on victory and an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series. South Africa have ample time to whittle away the rest of the Sri Lankan batting while the visitors, set 507 runs to win, must survive six more sessions if they are to force a most improbable outcome.
JP Duminy and Stephen Cook scored half centuries but four wickets for Suranga Lakmal and two for Rangana Herath restricted South Africa to 267 for six on the opening day of the first Test against Sri Lanka on Monday. Duminy made 63 and Cook 59 as South Africa threatened to dominate on a dry track at St George's Park but wickets at key moments kept Sri Lanka firmly in the game.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli continued to be the best-placed Indians in the batting chart, while off-spinner Ravichandra Ashwin held on to second spot among bowlers in the latest ICC Test Player ranking, release on Wednesday.
Playing their 100th Test, Bangladesh, were bowled out for 467 in the final session, leading Sri Lanka by 129 runs, after the 21-year-old Mosaddek became the final wicket to fall for 75.
Sri Lanka's Kaushal Silva roared back into form with a century in the final Test against Australia on Tuesday, boosting the hosts' hopes of a 3-0 sweep against the world number one team at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground in Colombo.
Retiring home hero Kumar Sangakkara featured in a brief rebuilding act in his final Test as Sri Lanka reached 140 for three in reply to India's first innings total of 393 on day two of the second Test in Colombo, on Friday. Images from the second day's play.
Sri Lankan Kusal Mendis struck a majestic maiden century on day three of the first Test against Australia to leave the bowler-dominated contest evenly poised at Pallekele on Thursday.
Images from Day 2 in the first Test between India and Sri Lanka, in Mohali, on Saturday.
Kaushal Silva stayed on course for his second Test hundred after featuring in a century-plus stand with Kumar Sangakkara to help Sri Lanka to 178 for 3 on Day 2 of the first Test against Pakistan at Galle on Thursday.
England fast bowler James Anderson took five wickets to inspire the hosts to a crushing victory over Sri Lanka by an innings and 88 runs in the first Test in Leeds on Saturday.
'We have seen the SLC statement, but are not privy to any information or intelligence report relating to safety of the SL team. The PCB reiterates its commitment to provide complete safety and security to the SL side and in this relation will continue to work with the SLC'
Pakistan Science and Technology Minister Fawad Hussain claimed that Sri Lankan cricket players opted out from the upcoming tour of Pakistan after India threatened them that they will be ousted from the Indian Premier League if they failed to do so.
Sri Lanka could have batted better, says Mahela Jayawardene
Ben Foakes marked his Test debut with a century and impressed with his glovework, too, as England bowled out Sri Lanka for 203 before stretching their lead to 177 runs on the second day of the opening Test in Galle.
Former champions Sri Lanka are all but out of the tournament after the Islanders produced a dismal batting show to manage a modest 203, a target which the Proteas overhauled with 76 balls in hand.
Former Sri Lanka pacer Chaminda Vaas predicted that Virat Kohli and his men would reach the semi-finals of the upcoming 2019 World Cup.
India have posted 6 of the 7 600+ totals posted in Test cricket this year!
Off-spinner Dilruwan Perera picked five wickets as Sri Lanka beat Pakistan by 68 runs in the second Test in Dubai on Tuesday and won the series 2-0. Perera had figures of 5-98 as Pakistan, chasing 317 for victory, were bowled out for 248 in the second hour of fifth and final day at Dubai stadium.
A win would move Sri Lanka level with fourth-placed England on eight points and leave both teams with two matches to play -- in the case of the Lankans, ties against West Indies and India
Sri Lanka off-spinner Dilruwan Perera took six wickets in the second innings for a match-haul of 10, as the hosts registered a thumping 278-run win over South Africa inside three days of the opening Test on Saturday.
South Africa bowled poorly in the first hour, but still managed to reduce the visitors to 54 for three as Sri Lanka gave their wickets away with injudicious stroke-play.
Rajneesh Gupta presents interesting numbers from Day 2 of the second Test in Colombo, on Friday.
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