The 19-year-old leg-spinner had been hotly tipped to break into the full England set-up this year following another successful year for Yorkshire in the Championship.

But the selectors have instead opted to take Graeme Swann as the second spinner, meaning Rashid will spend the winter with the England Performance Programme - the scheme formerly known as the England Academy - in India.

Ravi Bopara and Owais Shah can also be called upon for back-up spin if needed.

Batsman Andrew Strauss was the other surprise exclusion, while a rumoured recall to international cricket for Mark Ramprakash was also omitted.

Yorkshire player Michael Vaughan will lead the squad, while Matthew Hoggard will take his place as one of the leading strike bowlers for the tour.

The full squad for the Sri Lanka tour:
Michael Vaughan (Yorkshire, captain), James Anderson (Lancashire), Ian Bell (Warwickshire), Ravi Bopara (Essex), Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire), Paul Collingwood (Durham), Alastair Cook (Essex), Matthew Hoggard (Yorkshire), Phil Mustard (Durham), Monty Panesar (Northamptonshire), Kevin Pietersen (Hampshire), Matt Prior (Sussex), Owais Shah (Middlesex), Ryan Sidebottom (Nottinghamshire), Graeme Swann (Nottinghamshire).