The national selectors have a picked a 21-member Preliminary Sri Lanka Test squad for the upcoming three-match series against West Indies.
The squad will train in Pallekelle for eight days starting from 9th May in preparation for the first Test tour to the Caribbean Islands in a decade.
Read: Probable Sri Lanka Test squad for West Indies
The team will leave the island on 25th May. The first Test begins on June 6th in Port of Spain followed by the second game in St. Lucia on June 14 which will be a Day/Night game and will end the tour with the final Test starting on June 23 in Barbados.
The selectors have recalled veteran left-hander Mahela Udawatte as a possible replacement for experienced Dimuth Karunarathne who sustained a finger injury during training last week.
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The 31-year old left-handed top order batsman, Udawatte made his limited-overs debut in 2008 but never represented Sri Lanka in the longest format of the game. He made 283 runs at 56.60 during the recently concluded SLC provincial four-day tournament and chipped in with two good knocks – 71 and 116 during the ongoing limited-overs competition.
Rookie seamers, Kasun Rajitha and Nisala Tharaka were also named in the squad due to their excellent returns during the provincial tournament along with Shehan Madushanka who has successfully recovered from the injury which he suffered in Bangladesh in February. Madushanka made a comeback today (8th May) for Team Dambulla in the SLC Super 4s tournament.
Wicket-keeper batsman Kusal Janith Perera has also been named in the strong batting contingent along with seam-bowling all-rounder Dasun Shanaka.
The selectors are expected to prune down the squad to 17 next week.
Preliminary Squad – Dinesh Chandimal (Captain), Angelo Mathews, Kusal Mendis, Kusal Janith Perera, Dhananjaya de Silva, Roshen Silva, Niroshan Dickwella, Mahela Udawatte, Dasun Shanaka, Rangana Herath, Dilruwan Perera, Jefferey Vandersay, Akila Dhananjaya, Lakshan Sandakan, Suranga Lakmal, Lahiru Gamage, Lahiru Kumara, Shehan Madushanka, Kasun Rajitha, Asitha Fernando, Nisala Tharaka.
