England Lions team formerly known as England ‘A’ will commence their tour of Sri Lanka when they confront Sri Lanka ‘A’ Emerging XI in a 3 day practice match on the 1st of February at R. Premadasa International Stadium.
England Lions tour will be vital for the England’s 2nd string of players as they will try their utmost to make a name for themselves after their senior cricket team were whitewashed by Australia in the recently concluded ‘Ashes’ test series.
England Lions led by Chris Woakes will play 2 three day practice matches followed by 3 unofficial four day test matches in Sri Lanka. This tour will be looked upon favourably by the England selectors as this month long tour will give these Englishmen the opportunity to train and play in the sub-continent and it will be an invaluable experience for them.
England Lions squad contains a mix of players who have had international exposure such as Jonny Bairstow, Chris Woakes, Scott Brothwick combined with emerging young talent in Moeen Ali, James Taylor and Tymal Mills.
Sri Lanka will be led by Upul Tharanga in the unofficial 4 day test matches while the final squad of players will be chosen by the National Selectors after reviewing the performances of the 2 practice games.
This tour will help the young talent of Sri Lanka to flourish against top class English bowling as players like Shehan Jayasuriya, Angelo Perera, Niroshan Dickwella & off spinner Tharindu Kaushal will be waiting to put up a strong show as they are in good form after several months of consistent cricket throughout the first class circle and their main target will be to catch the attention of the National Selectors.
Recent good performances in the national side by Kaushal Silva, Dimuth Karunarathne, Kithruwan Vithanage, Ashan Priyanjan & Dilruwan Perera were all due to their superb showing during the previous ‘A’ tours and they capitalized perfectly on chances given at the highest level of Cricket.
Angelo Perera will be the main man to watch out for as he is fresh from a destructive double century (244) against Sri Lanka Air Force in a Premier League match last week. Left arm seamer Charith Jayampathi will take the new ball for Sri Lanka ‘A’ and he will be key bowler for Sri Lanka ‘A’ as he will exploit any help from the dry Sri Lankan surfaces to trouble the Englishmen. Rookie off spinner Tharindu Kaushal will be the secret weapon for Sri Lanka ‘A’ as his variety of deliveries will be hard to pick for the English batsmen.
Tour Fixtures
February 1-3 : 1st 3 day practice match – England Lions vs Sri Lanka ‘A‘ Emerging Players at R.Premadasa International Stadium Colombo.
February 6-8 : 2nd 3 day practice match – England Lions vs Sri Lanka ‘A’ Emerging Players at Colombo Colts Grounds.
February 12-15 : 1st unofficial test match – England Lions vs Sri Lanka ‘A’ at Pallekelle International Stadium.
February 19-22 : 2nd unofficial test match – England Lions vs Sri Lanka ‘A’ at Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium.
February 26-March 1 : 3rd unofficial test match – England Lions vs Sri Lanka ‘A’ at R.Premadasa International Stadium Colombo.
England Lions Squad
1. Chris Woakes (Warwickshire)
2. Moeen Ali (Worcestershire)
3. Jonny Bairstow (Yorkshire)
4. Scott Borthwick (Durham)
5. Varun Chopra (Warwickshire)
6. James Taylor (Nottinghamshire)
7. James Harris (Middlesex)
8. Chris Jordan (Sussex)
9. Ollie Rayner (Middlesex)
10. Alex Lees (Yorkshire)
11. Tymal Mills (Essex)
12. Mark Wood (Durham)
13. Sam Robson (Middlesex)
14. Ben Foakes (Essex)
15. James Vince (Hampshire)
Sri Lanka ‘A’ squad for the full tour
Upul Tharanga (Captain) – Left Hand Batsman
Udara Jayasundara – Left Hand Batsman
Shehan Jayasuriya – Left Hand Batsman – Right Arm Off Spin
Mahela Udawatte – Left Hand Batsman
Pabasara Waduge – Left Hand Batsman
Angelo Perera – Right Hand Batsman
Madhawa Warnapura – Right Hand Batsman
Danushka Gunatillake – Left Hand Batsman – Right Arm Off Spin
Ashan Priyanjana – Right Hand Batsman
Roshen Silva – Right Hand Batsman
Romesh Buddhika – Left Hand Batsman – Right Arm Off Spin
Banuka Rajapakse – Left Hand Batsman – Right Arm Medium Fast
Niroshan Dickwella – Left Hand Batsman – Wicket Keeper
Gayan Manishan – Left Hand Batsman – Wicket Keeper
Chathuranga De Silva – Left Hand Batsman – Left Arm Leg Spin
Tharindu Kaushal – Right Hand Batsman – Right Arm Off Spin
Chathura Randunu – Left Hand Batsman – Left Arm Leg Spin
Akila Dhananjaya – Left Hand Batsman – Right Arm Off Spin
Ishan Jayaratne – Right Hand Batsman – Right Arm Medium Fast
Vimukthi Perera – Right Hand Batsman – Left Arm Medium Fast
Kanishka Elvitigala – Right Hand Batsman – Right Arm Medium Fast
Lahiru Gamage – Right Hand Batsman – Right Arm Medium Fast
Charith Jayampathy – Left Hand Batsman – Left Arm Medium Fast
