Two rookies, two veterans make it to white-ball squads against Kiwis
Uncapped batters Sahan Arachchige and Lasith Croospulle have been rewarded with white-ball call-ups as selectors finalised two 18-man squads for the three ODIs and as many T20Is against New Zealand next month. The limitedover series will begin with the first ODI on March 25 in Auckland.
Arachchige, 26, has been named in the ODI squad while Croospulle, 24, comes into the T20 squad. The squads also see the return of Angelo Mathews, Dushmantha Chameera, Kusal Janith Perera, and Sadeera Samarawickrema. Out of form Bhanuka Rajapaksa and Avishka Fernando failed to make the cut.
Wicket-keeper batter Niroshan Dickwella, too, is out of favour as Samarawickrema comes in as the second wicket-keeper to Kusal Mendis. Mathews’ return was widely expected after a two-year hiatus. He was among several other seniors including then white-ball skipper Dimuth Karunaratne, who were axed from limited-over cricket as part of a youth-based selection policy.
However, following the recent series defeat to India (3-0) and with a World Cup around the corner, there were calls for veterans’ inclusion in the side to bolster the fragile middle order.
Chameera’s return after a knee surgery performed on the sideline of the T20 World Cup in Australia, is a welcome boost to the side, where the selectors have named six seamers in each squad with young slinger Matheesha Pathirana replacing Pramod Madushan in the T20 squad.
Kusal Janith, one of the most experienced white-ball cricketers, had an operation to correct a troubled shoulder mid-last year and was named only for the T20 series in order to manage his workload. Sameerawickrema, the captain of the Sri Lanka ‘A’ side, was the top scorer in the three-match unofficial ODI series against England Lions, hitting 137 runs at 45.66. Arachchige and Croospulle scored 88 and 95 runs respectively in the series.
Sri Lanka must win the series to earn a direct qualification for this year’s 50-over World Cup. The team was selected mid this week and requires the approval from the Sports Minister’s as per the Sports Law.