Training for Sri Lanka cricketers in England well ahead of World Cup
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Desperate to get its national team back to winning in the limited-over format ahead of the global showpiece, the World Cup, Sri Lanka Cricket has lined up a series of training programs to make the players ready.
The 1996 champions and 2007 and 2011 runners-up, Sri Lanka, are currently in disarray with almost all positions in the 15-man squad, including captain, up for grabs following a series of defeats in limited-over formats. And with no match engagements after the current series in South Africa, the Board wants their cricketers in England as early as possible to acclimatize to the tough conditions.
Accordingly, the 15-man squad, which will be finalized by April 23–the International Cricket Council deadline for squad submissions–will travel to London on May 7, three weeks before their first game against New Zealand on June 1 in Cardiff.
In London, the squad will assemble for a week-long training at Merchant Taylor School from 8-15. On the 16th, the squad will travel to Scotland to play two one-day matches against the Scotland national team before heading to Cardiff on May 22. The two ODI matches are fixed for May 18 and 21.
Squad selection
With almost all the places up for grabs, Sri Lanka Cricket will conduct a seven-day Super Provincial One Day Tournament to select the 15-man World Cup squad. The tournament, which will be played in Pallekele and in Dambulla, has been made compulsory for all national cricketers, with no-show players not being considered for selection.
“This is compulsory for all the national level players,” said Sri Lanka Cricket President Shammi Silva. This means Lasith Malinga, who is part of the Mumbai Indians for 2019 Indian Premier League season, will have to forgo at least a few matches of the cash-rich league to compete in the local tournament.
Once the squad is finalized, the cricketers are expect to camp at Dambulla for training. This camp is set to be the last hit-out for the squad on home soil before heading to Europe.
“We will finalize the dates of the training once the head coach returns from South Africa,” said Asanka Gurusinha, SLC’s Chief Cricket Operating Officer.
Sri Lanka’s World Cup fixtures
June 1: Sri Lanka vs New Zealand at Cardiff Wales Stadium, Cardiff
June 4: Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan at Cardiff Wales Stadium, Cardiff
June 7: Sri Lanka vs Pakistan at Bristol County Ground, Bristol
June 11: Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh at Bristol County Ground, Bristol
June 15: Sri Lanka vs Australia at The Oval, London
June 21: Sri Lanka vs England at Headingley, Leeds
June 28: Sri Lanka vs South Africa at The Riverside Durham, Chester-le-Street
July 1: Sri Lanka vs West Indies at The Riverside Durham, Chester-le-Street
July 6: Sri Lanka vs India at Headingley, Leeds