Jayawardene and Herath back for Pakistan test series

COLOMBO (Reuters) - Experienced batsman Mahela Jayawardene and left-arm spinner Rangana Herath will return for Sri Lanka's three-test series against Pakistan in UAE after skipping the ongoing one-day contests due to personal reasons. The duo were named in a 16-man squad on Monday along with three uncapped test players. Vishwa Fernando, a 22-year-old left-arm fast-medium bowler, has not represented his country in any format while off-spinners Sachitra Senanayake and Dilruwan Perera have appeared in ODIs and T20s for Sri Lanka. Wicket-keeper Kaushal Silva, a consistent scorer in domestic cricket, finds a place in the test squad as a replacement for Tillakaratne Dilshan, who retired from test cricket early this year. Fast bowler Shaminda Eranga has been recalled to the test side after being rested for the ODIs against New Zealand and Pakistan. The three-test series starts in Abu Dhabi on December 31. Sri Lanka test squad: Angelo Mathews (captain), Dinesh Chandimal, Dimuth Karunaratne, Kaushal Silva, Kumar Sangakkara, Lahiru Thirimanne, Mahela Jayawardene, Prasanna Jayawardene, Nuwan Kulasekara, Suranga Lakmal, Shaminda Eranga, Vishwa Fernando, Sachitra Senanayake, Nuwan Pradeep, Rangana Herath, Dilruwan Perera. (Editing by Pritha Sarkar)