Sri Lanka Cricket announced a 15-man squad for the T20 World Cup in Australia on Friday.
The job of the selectors has been made relatively easy this time with the team winning 5 consecutive matches to go on and win the Asia Cup 2022, and looking very solid.
Notable returnee to the squad is pacer Lahiru Kumara, while another pacer Asitha Fernando who’s cameo with the bat which kept Sri Lanka alive in the Asia cup, misses out.
We take a closer look at the squad selection for the T20 World Cup.
1 . SLC have announced Kusal Mendis and Bhanuka Rajapaksa as wicket keepers in the T20 squad. This is probably the first time Sri Lanka are going without a non-full time wicket keepers for a World Cup. Kusal Mendis has had a decent job behind the wicket and Sri Lanka would hope that it would continue in the World Cup as well. This is also the first time Sri Lanka has considered Bhanuka Rajapaksa as a wicket keeper. Bhanuka kept wickets for Punjab Kings during IPL. Chief selector Pramodya Wickremesinghe said that Dinesh Chandimal on standby can be called-in if any injury concerns are raised.
2 . The squad has only 7 batsmen and on paper looks bowler-heavy. Selectors have kept faith on the key batters who have made important contributions during the Asia Cup, except Charith Asalanka. 6 of them are likely to feature in the playing XI at some point of the tournament.
3 . Charith Asalanka’s recent poor run of form has prompted the selectors to not name a vice captain in the squad. Asalanka who had been vice captain previously eventually lost is place in the team to Dananjaya de Silva after his poor run with the bat in the Asia Cup.
4 . SLC has still not cleared Dushmantha Chameera and Lahiru Kumara as fully fit as they named them in the squad with a condition of “subject to fitness”. It is evident that the selectors are keen to include these two fast bowlers who will be an asset in Australian conditions. Sri Lanka squad will likely fly to Australia with 2 injury concerns already.
5 . Kusal Perera, Avishka Fernando, Akila Dananjaya, Dinesh Chandimal and Binura Fernando miss out from the squad named for the previous edition of the T20 World Cup held last year, while Danushka Gunathilaka, Kusal Mendis, Jeffrey Vandersay, Dilshan Madushanka and Pamod Madushan have replaced them.
The squad will fly to Australia on the 2nd of October and will play their first warm-up match against Zimbabwe on the 10th October at the MCG. They are scheduled to play in the opening match of the tournament against Namibia on the 16th of October. (NewsWire)
