The reins of Sri Lanka’s ODI captaincy will return to Kusal Mendis as the wicketkeeper batter makes his international comeback following a lengthy injury lay off.

Mendis, a regular across all three formats for much of the last decade, was forced into a rare spell on the sidelines after suffering a hamstring injury during the LPL.

The injury ruled him out of the home Test series against India and he subsequently missed the T20I leg of the tour of England, with Charith Asalanka taking over the captaincy. Mendis will lead the side today in the first ODI against England.

Mendis had returned to action for SSC in last week’s domestic T20 tournament, featuring in both the semi-final and final. He struck a crucial half-century in the semi-final against NCC to help SSC book their place in the final and having proved his match fitness, was flown to England to take charge of the ODI side.

Sri Lanka will hope his return can provide the spark that was conspicuously absent during a chastening T20I series, where the tourists were swept 3-0.

More worrying than the scoreline was the manner of the defeats. Sri Lanka barely landed a punch, with the batting repeatedly folding and the side often failing to use its full quota of 20 overs. It is hardly a new headache either. The shortcomings of the batting unit in the shortest format have been evident for some time, but a remedy remains elusive.

The fact that not a single Sri Lankan batter managed a half-century throughout the three match series only underlined the scale of the problem.

Today’s game will be played at Chester-le-Street in Durham, the northernmost international cricket venue in England. A short drive from Scotland, Durham was also once home to Sri Lankan great Kumar Sangakkara, who had a stint in county cricket with the club.

All-rounder Janith Liyanage, who has developed into a steadying influence in the middle order, is expected to feature, while prolific young run scorer Pavan Rathnayake is also pushing strongly for a place.

Sri Lanka also have the option of promoting Kamil Mishara to open alongside Pathum Nissanka, which would preserve the left-hand, right-hand combination at the top of the order.

Asitha Fernando, who did not feature in the T20I series, returns for the ODIs and is tipped to share the new ball with Dushmantha Chameera. The third seamer’s berth appears to be a toss up between Dilshan Madushanka and Eshan Malinga.

There is no shortage of spin either, with Sri Lanka having to choose from Maheesh Theekshana, Dunith Wellalage and uncapped leg-spinner Sachindu Colombage.

Today’s game gets underway at 5pm Sri Lanka time.

The second match will be played at Headingley on Thursday before the tour concludes in London on Sunday, with The Oval hosting the final ODI, a day game beginning at 3pm Sri Lanka time.

Sri Lanka’s bloated first class structure is set for a major overhaul, with the number of teams in the top tier to be trimmed from 14 to ten over the next two years as part of sweeping reforms aimed at raising standards in domestic cricket.

The Cricket Transformation Committee announced the move yesterday as part of its broader programme to restructure the game.

For years, one of the biggest criticisms of Sri Lanka’s domestic cricket has been the large number of teams competing at first class level, resulting in the country’s best talent being spread too thinly. The latest move is intended to bring the leading players together in a more competitive environment and make the jump from club cricket to the international game less daunting.

The Transformation Committee believes concentrating the best players among fewer teams will improve the overall quality of competition while strengthening the pathway to the national side.

Another significant change will see the top tier first class tournament revert to four day cricket. First class matches are currently played over three days, but the committee believes extending them by a day will provide players with better preparation for Test cricket.

The move addresses a long standing concern in Sri Lankan cricket, where players graduating to the Test side have often had limited exposure to the demands of four day cricket at domestic level. Longer games should place greater emphasis on ability of bowlers to take 20 wickets rather than encouraging the helter skelter approach often associated with three day cricket.

A more structured domestic calendar is also being drawn up, with proper rest periods incorporated to reduce injuries and player burnout. The committee believes a settled calendar will also allow clubs, coaches and broadcasters to plan well in advance.

Attention is also being turned towards the quality of pitches, another area that has come under scrutiny over the years. An experienced National Curator has been recruited following an independent interview process led by former ICC Head Curator Andy Atkinson, while curators at Sri Lanka’s international venues have been brought directly under SLC.