Colombo: Sri Lanka opener Sanath Jayasuriya has reversed his decision to retire from Test and has been added to the squad touring England.

Jayasuriya retired last month but Sri Lanka’s new chairman of selectors, Asantha De Mel, persuaded him to reconsider his decision, a Sri Lankan cricket board official said.

The 36-year-old will miss the first Test starting on Thursday at Lord’s but will be available for second Test at Edgbaston beginning on May 25.

The news had not reached the Sri Lanka team in London.

“I haven’t been told so I don’t know,” said Sri Lanka’s team manager Michael Tissera.

Jayasuriya, Sri Lanka’s highest run getter in both the versions of the game, handed a letter confirming his decision to cricket board chief executive Duleep Mendis on Wednesday.

De Mel met Jayasuriya and an emergency selection meeting, which was convened on Wednesday afternoon, during which the government approval was obtained to send him to England immediately.

The left-hander’s U-turn followed comments from De Mel that his predecessor Lalith Kaluperuma had forced Jayasuriya into retirement.

“I have very reliable information that he was forced to retire,” De Mel said in an interview last week to a Colombo based daily.

“If a player wants to retire he does that before a series, but on this instance he was forced to retire and for me it’s totally wrong,” he added.

“They should have at least respected the man because he has done so much for the country, but on this instance he was basically asked to pack his bags and go home.”

Jayasuriya’s last appearance was in the second Test against Pakistan in April but it was cut short when he dislocated his thumb on the second day of match. He has scored 6,613 runs in 102 Test appearances at an average of 41.59, including 14 centuries and 29 fifties. (REUTERS)