Did Sri Lanka pick the best out of the rest?
Sri Lanka's captain Wanindu Hasaranga poses with his country's new jersey for T20 World Cup
Sri Lanka’s 15-member squad for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup in the USA and West Indies has raised a few eyebrows and sparked discussions among cricket enthusiasts on a few debatable inclusions and exclusions.
One that caught many by surprise is the selection of 21-year-old left-arm spinner Dunith Wellalage, who was part of the 50-over World Cup team last year and is yet to make his T20 international debut. Many question as to why the youngster was not given the opportunity play in the series against Zimbabwe, Afghanistan and Bangladesh if the selectors were looking to offer him a World Cup spot.
Chief selector Upul Tharanga has explained that the decision to include Wellalage was based on the need for a spin all-rounder to support skipper Wanindu Hasaranga in the specific conditions they might encounter during the month-long tournament. Although Sri Lanka play all of their first-round games in the United States, they will move to the West Indies for their Super Eight games, provided they earned a spot.
“He was not in our initial plans but we thought a left-arm spinner would come handy in those conditions as wickets are expected to be slow,” said a former cricketer involved in cricket.
“The fight was between Wellalage and Jeffery Vandersay, who is bowling well at the moment. It’s unfortunate that Vandersay missed out”.
Tharanga has explained that, as left-arm spinners have been effective in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), they opted for a left-arm spinner instead of a leg-spinner. The selectors named leg-spinner Vijayakanth Viyaskanth as one of the traveling reserves, even though he replaced Wanindu Hasaranga in the Sunrises Hyderabad team in the ongoing IPL.
Janith Liyanage is another player to miss out on a place in the 15. He finds himself as a traveling reserve but given his recent performance with the bat in ODI cricket, you can only feel for the 28-year-old batting all-rounder. Having scored a century and three half-centuries in six innings in his short nine-game ODI career, Liyanage is among the leading run-scorers in the 50-over format this year. He is also a useful medium pacer but the selectors have opted for the experience of former skipper Dasun Shanaka. Shanaka, who led
Sri Lanka in the last two T20 World Cups, has played a few match-winning knocks for Sri Lanka and his ability clear the boundary at will in the death overs has made him an automatic choice.
Also missing is Kusal Janith Perera, the dashing left-handed batter. However, his exclusion was expected given the lack of runs behind him during the last couple of series. Avishka Fernando, the right-handed opening batter, and left-arm seamer Binura Fernando, who has featured regularly in the T20 side, also failed to get in. The selectors were also debating on whether to include Bhanuka Rajapaksa or Dhananjaya de Silva but de Silva has finally won the race with Rajapaksa traveling as a reserve.
Angelo Mathews, who missed the last two World Cups, is in as selectors want the 36-year-old veteran to give his all-round experience to the team’s success during the tournament. The former World Cup winning cricketer injects a wealth of experience as Sri Lanka look to lay their hands on the title, a decade after winning it in 2014.
The team includes seven specialist batsmen, three all-rounders, four fast bowlers, and one specialist spinner. Apart from Mathews, the batting department does not include any surprises. Vice captain Charith Asalanka, Kusal Mendis, Pathum Nissanka, Kamindu Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva and Sadeera Samarawickrama were expected to walk straight into the side as they have been regulars in the national team. The squad includes three all-rounders in Hasaranga, Dasun Shanaka and Wellalage and four specialist fast bowlers Dushmantha Chameera, Dilshan Madushanka, Nuwan Thushara and Matheesha Pathirana and one specialist spinner Maheesh Theekshana. Theekshana is part of the Chennai Super Kings but has been benched after featuring in the first three games where he had managed only two wickets.
Sri Lanka’s journey in the T20 World Cup will kick off with a crucial Group ‘D’ match against South Africa, setting the tone for their campaign. Subsequent matches against Bangladesh, Nepal, and Netherlands will test their mettle before they advance to the Super Eight stage. The team’s performance in these initial encounters will be pivotal in shaping their progression and aspirations for the tournament.
As the cricketing world awaits the action-packed spectacle of the T20 World Cup, Sri Lanka’s squad stands poised to make an impact with a blend of experience, emerging talent, and strategic depth.
| Sri Lanka’s squad for 2024 T20 World Cup | |
| Wanindu Hasaranga (capt), Charith Asalanka (vc), Kusal Mendis, Pathum Nissanka, Kamindu Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Angelo Mathews, Dasun Shanaka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Maheesh Theekshana, Dunith Wellalage, Dushmantha Chameera, Matheesha Pathirana, Nuwan Thushara, Dilshan Madushanka Travelling reserves: Asitha Fernando, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Janith Liyanage |