Sri Lanka announce 18-man squad for Bangladesh tour
Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) announced an 18-man squad for the ICC Cricket World Cup Super League series against Bangladesh on Tuesday. The selectors sacked several senior players, including captain Dimuth Karunaratne, Angelo Mathews and Dinesh Chandimal, to make way for several new faces.
SLC has appointed Kusal Perera as the new captain, with Kusal Mendis being his deputy.
Earlier this week, a report had emerged, claiming that Sri Lanka Cricket are set to make some significant changes to their ODI team, keeping the 2023 Cricket World Cup in mind.
Here is Sri Lanka's 18-man squad for the 3-match ODI series versus Bangladesh.
Full squad:
Kusal Perera (C), Kusal Mendis (VC), Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne, Asitha Fernando, Binura Fernando, Shiran Fernando, Danushka Gunathilaka, Pathum Nissanka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Ashen Bandara, Niroshan Dickwella, Dasun Shanka, Isuru Udana, Dushmantha Chameera, Ramesh Mendis, Lakshan Sandakan, Akila Dhananjaya.
The Sri Lankan cricket team is yet to get off the mark in the ICC Cricket World Cup Super League. The Islanders lost their first series against West Indies by 0-3. It will be interesting to see if they can open their account under Kusal Perera's captaincy.
Perera did not have a great outing as the Kandy Tuskers captain in Lanka Premier League 2020. Kandy finished last in the competition, winning only two of their eight fixtures.
Sri Lanka set to face India at home later this year
After the short tour of Bangladesh, the Sri Lankan cricket team will visit England for six white-ball matches. They will return home in July and host a second-string Indian team for a series involving T20I and ODI matche.
Kusal Perera's leadership skills will be tested during these games. A good performance in the ODIs could help the Islanders rise in the ICC Cricket World Cup Super League standings.