Sri Lanka has rewarded Kamindu Mendis for his profitable tour of England by moving him up the batting order for the two-test series against New Zealand starting on Wednesday.

Follow live coverage of England vs Sri Lanka from the Sri Lanka in England 2024 today. The ICC Test Championship sees nine teams compete across a two-year cycle of matches before a two-team final decides the winner. The inaugural competition was won by New Zealand after a thrilling victory over India in June 2021.

Sri Lanka captain Dhananjaya de Silva and Kamindu Mendis frustrated England with an unbroken century partnership on the second day of the third Test at the Oval.

Sri Lanka and New Zealand are engaged in a tense Test match in Galle. New Zealand took a 35-run lead after their first innings, but Sri Lanka responded well, trailing by three runs with nine wickets in hand.

Prolific middle-order batter Kamindu Mendis struck a fine hundred to rescue Sri Lanka from a precarious position as the hosts reached 302-7 at stumps on Day 1 of the first test against New Zealand.

Rookie New Zealand fast bowler William O'Rourke took two wickets to rattle Sri Lanka's top order as the hosts reached 88 at lunch Wednesday on day one of the first Test. Sri Lanka last won a Test series against New Zealand in 2009.