Essex sign Kasun Rajitha for the next five County Championship matches.

Sri Lanka seamer Kasun Rajitha has joined Essex on a five-match deal for the Rothesay County Championship. The right-armer has played in 18 Tests and taken 55 wickets (29.58), including a career-best 5 for 56 against Bangladesh in March 2024. Rajitha, who stands close to 6 feet 4 inches tall, is expected to play in Essex's third County Championship match against Worcestershire, which starts on Friday at Chelmsford. The move will see Rajitha reunited with Chris Silverwood, who had a spell as Sri Lanka head coach from 2022 to 2024. Now director of cricket at Essex, Silverwood regards the 31-year-old's skill and experience as a vital addition to an already strong pace attack. His arrival will help compensate for the loss of Shardul Thakur, after the India international won a late call-up to the IPL. "We are delighted to welcome Kasun to Essex and very much look forward to watching him perform in the County Championship," said Silverwood. "I know his experience and skill set will certainly help strengthen our already superb bowling attack." In a statement released by Essex, Rajitha added: "It is a really proud moment for me to be joining Essex. Over the years, I've followed the team, and I've always found them to play entertaining first-class cricket. I'm excited to be a part of a strong bowling team and look forward to helping the team win games on the field. I would like to thank Chris Silverwood for giving me this opportunity and Sri Lanka Cricket for allowing me to further hone my skills." The acquisition of Rajitha could mean rotation is on the cards for Essex's three-pronged seam attack, with Sam Cook the likeliest to sit out the next round ahead of a possible appearance in England's first Test of the summer against Zimbabwe, which begins on May 22 at Trent Bridge. Cook, uncapped, has already bowled 75 overs across four innings so far, with seven dismissals at 28.42.