Angelo Mathews has successfully passed his fitness Test held at R. Premadasa International Stadium yesterday, ThePapare.com reliably learns.
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The former skipper has recovered from the hamstring strain that he sustained during the second Indian T20I match in December in Indore and is billed to play.
Injury-prone Mathews might not bowl again for some time in order to keep himself fit until the 2019 ICC World Cup in England.
According to reliable sources, Mathews is also set to be named Sri Lanka limited-overs captain once again tomorrow (9th January) and is pitted to lead the islanders until the next World Cup.
Read: Angelo Mathews steps down from Sri Lanka captaincy
Angelo Mathews resigned as Sri Lanka captain across all three formats last July following an embarrassing 2-3 ODI series loss to Zimbabwe. He has led Sri Lanka 98 ODIs winning 47 and losing 45.
Mathews’ resignation left Sri Lanka without a proper leader in the ODI format and resulted in the team being led by four players namely Upul Tharanga, Chamara Kapugedera, Lasith Malinga and Thisara Perera.
The Sri Lankan ODI team is set to leave the island on 13th January for the upcoming tri-series ODI tournament in Bangladesh which also involves Zimbabwe. The tri-series will be followed by two Tests and two T20Is between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
Read More: Thisara Perera sacked
Once named officially as the captain, Mathews will be a part of a three-man on-tour selection panel which consist of new head coach Chandika Hathurusingha and Manager Asanka Gurusinha.
“He (Hathurusingha) will be able to pick the final eleven while on tour with the manager of the team and the captain also acting as co-selectors.” Sri Lanka Cricket President Thilanga Sumathipala said on Sunday at their Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM).
Sri Lanka’s sports law of 1973 does not permit the coach to be a national selector but the change was ratified yesterday at the EGM. However, the head coach will not be allowed to make decisions in the national selection committee when the squads are picked.
