Sri Lanka name preliminary squads for limited overs series against Zimbabwe

The Sri Lankan cricket team is set to face Zimbabwe in a three-match ODI series followed by a three-match T20I series next month. This will be the first time the ‘Lankan Lions’ will be in action since their tumultuous ODI World Cup 2023 campaign.

The entire white-ball series is scheduled to be played at the R Premadasa Stadium, in Colombo. The first ODI is going to be held on Saturday, January 6. Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has announced their preliminary squads for the ODIs as well as the T20Is. Notably, 21 players have been named in the preliminary ODI squad, whereas 22 have been picked for the T20Is. SLC mentioned in a statement that the final squads will be picked from the players named in the preliminary ones.

Mendis to lead in ODIs while Hasaranga will lead in T20Is, Mathews will feature in T20Is

Kusal Mendis has been announced as the captain of the ODI squad while Wanindu Hasaranga will be in charge of the T20I setup. Charith Asalanka has been named as the vice-captain in both the formats. It is important to note that Hasaranga missed out on playing in the ODI World Cup 2023 as he was recuperating from a hamstring injury. Also, Dasun Shanaka, who had been serving as Sri Lanka’s T20I captain since September 2019 and ODI captain since July 2021, has been picked in both squads as a regular player. This puts an end to his captaincy stint for Sri Lanka.

Experienced all-rounder Angelo Mathews has been picked in the T20I squad but dropped from the ODIs. The former Sri Lanka captain played his last T20I in March 2021. Mathews wasn’t initially picked in the squad for the ODI World Cup but he slotted in later as a replacement for the injured Matheesha Pathirana.

Sri Lanka’s preliminary ODI squad: Kusal Mendis (C), Charith Asalanka (VC), Pathum Nissanka, Avishka Fernando, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Sahan Arachchige, Nuwanidu Fernando, Dasun Shanaka, Kamindu Mendis, Chamika Karunaratne, Janith Liyanage, Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Dilshan Madushanka, Dushmantha Chameera, Dunith Wellalage, Pramod Madushan, Asitha Fernando, Akila Dananjaya, Jeffrey Vandersay, Chamika Gunasekera

Sri Lanka’s preliminary T20I squad: Wanindu Hasaranga (C), Charith Asalanka (VC), Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Dasun Shanaka, Angelo Mathews, Dhananjaya de Silva, Maheesh Theekshana, Kusal Janith Perera, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Kamindu Mendis, Dunith Wellalage, Akila Dananjaya, Jeffrey Vandersay, Chamika Karunaratne, Dushmantha Chameera, Dilshan Madushanka, Binura Fernando, Nuwan Thushara, Pramod Madushan, Matheesha Pathirana