Nissanka, Bandara and Madushanka make the cut for Windies tour
Uncapped Pathum Nissanka, Ashen Bandara and Dilshan Madushanka have broken into the Sri Lanka’s 20-member limited over squad for the upcoming tour of West Indies while Kusal Mendis, Kusal Janith Perera, Avishka Fernando and Isuru Udana have all been omitted.
Mendis who has been out of form in recent months passed the recent fitness test along with Isuru Udana but selectors say were not considered due to injuries. Kusal Janith and Avishka failed the fitness test of running 2km in under 8 minutes and 35 seconds and were axed. Sri Lanka Cricket has taken a decision to drop players who do not meet fitness requirements.
Nissanka’s entry into the national fold was expected sooner than later. The 22-year-old has been the most prolific run-scorer in the domestic circuit and has a first class average of 67.24.
Bandara (22) is a middle-order batsman while Madushanka is a 20-year-old left-arm fast-bowler. The selectors have also brought in ambidextrous Kamindu Mendis, two years after he last represented Sri Lanka.
Dasun Shanaka has been named the captain for the series and is likely to retain it until the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in India in October.
The 29-year-old replaces Lasith Malinga who recently announced his retirement from franchise cricket. His appointment was made by the national cricket selectors whose head Ashantha de Mel resigned in January after Sri Lanka conceded their second 2-0 Test defeat in six weeks. The selection committee now comprises Pramodya Wickremasinghe and Chaminda Mendis but a new committee is likely to take over this week.
Shanaka’s first assignment will be the West Indies series where Sri Lanka will play 3 T20 internationals. He led a young Sri Lankan outfit against Pakistan in 2019 and won the series 3-0.
Dimuth Karunaratne captains both ODI and Test side. The limited over team will leave the island tomorrow for the series starting on March 4. All the fixtures are set to be played behind closed doors in Antigua within a bio-secure environment. The Test squad will depart on March 7.