Sri Lanka to battle West Indies in opening test 

Sri Lanka and West Indies will contest in a Test series in the Caribbean for the first time in 10 years with the two teams meeting for the first Test at the Queen's Park Oval in Trinidad today (06).

Sri Lanka's touring side 10 years ago, captained by Mahela Jayawardene, claimed their first ever Test win in the West Indies as the series was shared, while they arrive on this trip in terrific form, in which their only defeat in their last seven Tests was away to top-ranked India. But, their preparations for the upcoming three-Test series in the West Indies have been hurt with the absence of batsman Dimuth Karunaratne and fast bowlers Dushmantha Chameera and Nuwan Pradeep to injury. Also, promising No 3 batsman Dhananjaya de Silva - who has hit four Test tons in his first 13 games - has rejoined squad, but is unavailable for the first Test, a fortnight after his father was shot and killed outside their family home.

Dhananjaya's father, an elected councillor at the Dehiwala-Mt. Lavinia Municipal Council, was gunned down in Rathmalana on May 23 - the evening before his son was originally due to fly to the Caribbean.

Devon Smith, meanwhile, is back in West Indies Test squad after an absence of nearly three years. The selectors have also called up the uncapped wicketkeeper-batsman Jahmar Hamilton for the first Test at Port of Spain, Trinidad.

Thirty-six-year-old Smith last played a Test during England's 2015 tour to the West Indies, where he averaged 23.25 across his four innings. The left-handed opener averages only a fraction more, 24.50, across his 38 Test matches to date.

This is first time Sri Lanka will play more than two Tests in the Caribbean, with the second Test scheduled for St Lucia and the final match in Barbados set to be the first-ever day-night Test in the West Indies. 

Sri Lanka squad:  Dinesh Chandimal (capt), Akila Dananjaya, Dhananjaya de Silva, Niroshan Dickwella (wkt), Asitha Fernando, Lahiru Gamage, Lahiru Kumara, Suranga Lakmal, Angelo Mathews, Kusal Mendis, Dilruwan Perera, Kusal Perera, Kasun Rajitha, Roshen Silva, Mahela Udawatte, Jeffrey Vandersay.

West Indies Test squad: Jason Holder (capt), Devendra Bishoo, Kraigg Brathwaite, Roston Chase, Miguel Cummins, Shane Dowrich (wkt), Shannon Gabriel, Jahmar Hamilton (wkt), Shimron Hetmyer, Shai Hope, Kieran Powell, Kemar Roach, Devon Smith.