Sri Lanka beef up batting strength
KANDY, Sri Lanka (Reuters) -- Sri Lanka have dropped a spinner to beef up their batting for the second Test against England starting on Wednesday.
Middle-order batsman Tillakaratne Dilshan is recalled in place of off-spinner Kumar Dharmasena, one of three specialist Sri Lanka spinners in the drawn first Test.
Dilshan, 27, who played the last of his 10 Tests against West Indies in June, will bat at six with Thilan Samaraweera at seven.
The selectors considered recalling fast bowler Dilhara Fernando after he recovered from a stress fracture.
In the end they remained loyal to Dinusha Fernando who took one wicket in the opening encounter of the three-Test series.
England, who name their team on the morning of the match, will welcome back former captain Nasser Hussain who missed the first game with a throat infection.
Paul Collingwood, who helped save the day in Galle with a three-hour 36, is expected to step down.
Seamer James Anderson is tipped to return and replace Richard Johnson after recovering from an ankle injury sustained playing squash.
SRI LANKA: Hashan Tillakaratne (capt), Marvan Atapattu, Sanath Jayasuriya, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Thilan Samaraweera, Upul Chandana, Chaminda Vaas, Dinusha Fernando, Muttiah Muralitharan.
ENGLAND (from): Michael Vaughan (capt), Marcus Trescothick, Mark Butcher, Graham Thorpe, Andrew Flintoff, Nasser Hussain, Rikki Clarke, Ashley Giles, Robert Croft, Gareth Batty, James Kirtley, Richard Johnson, Matthew Hoggard, Chris Read, Geraint Jones, Paul Collingwood, James Anderson.
