The national selectors have picked a 28-member preliminary squad for the upcoming Sri Lanka tour of England in June & July to play three T20Is and three ODIs.
After the conclusion of the Bangladesh tour, the 18-member Sri Lanka team returned home via a chartered flight on the 30th of May. The team will enter a bio-secure environment maintained by Sri Lanka Cricket at the Taj Samudra Hotel in Colombo and will undergo a strict room quarantine period of three days before joining the rest of the squad members for training at R. Premadasa International Stadium.
Read: Sri Lanka to tour England in June 2021
The 10 players, who didn’t fly to Bangladesh, entered the bio-bubble after having returned negative PCR Tests on the 29th of May. They will be training separately under the watchful eyes of the Director of Cricket Tom Moody before the touring party from Bangladesh join the training sessions.
The 28-member preliminary squad is expected to be pruned down to 22 players by the end of the first week of June. The 22-member squad for both T20Is and ODIs are expected to fly to England in the second week of June on a chartered flight.
Before the T20I series starts on the 23rd of June, Sri Lanka is expected to play a couple of intra-squad fixtures. After the conclusion of the three-match T20I series, Sri Lanka will play three ODIs against the current World Champions as part of the ICC Cricket World Cup Super League 2020-2022.
Kusal Perera, who led the Sri Lanka team in the ODI series against Bangladesh recently, is expected to be named both the T20I and ODI skipper for the England tour.
The National Selectors have named a few prolific players who have performed well in the recent domestic competitions such as Charith Asalanka, Kamil Mishara, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Dhananjaya Lakshan and Ishan Jayaratne in the 28-member squad, while fast bowler Kasun Rajitha, who recovered from an injury, has also earned his place in the white-ball format.
Read: Tom Moody to be named as Consultant Coach for England tour
Dashing top-order batsman Avishka Fernando, who failed to make the Bangladesh touring party due to fitness issues has been added to the England tour probable’s having reached the necessary fitness requirements last week. However, several experienced players such as Angelo Mathews, Dimuth Karunaratne, Dinesh Chandimal & Suranga Lakmal have been overlooked once again, following the selectors’ new ‘Youth Strategy’ but right arm seamer Nuwan Pradeep has been named in the preliminary squad.
Sri Lanka preliminary squad for England tour – Kusal Perera, Danushka Gunathilaka, Pathum Nissanka, Avishka Fernando, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Oshada Fernando, Kusal Mendis, Dhananjaya De Silva, Charith Asalanka, Kamil Mishara, Niroshan Dickwella, Ashen Bandara, Dasun Shanaka, Chamika Karunaratne, Dhananjaya Lakshan, Wanindu Hasaranga, Ramesh Mendis, Lakshan Sandakan, Akila Dananjaya, Praveen Jayawickrama, Dushmantha Chameera, Isuru Udana, Binura Fernando, Nuwan Pradeep, Shiran Fernando, Kasun Rajitha, Asitha Fernando, Ishan Jayaratne
Sri Lanka vs England – Tour Schedule
1st T20I – 23rd June – Cardiff – 11.00pm (SL Time)
2nd T20I – 24th June – Cardiff – 11.00pm (SL Time)
3rd T20I – 26th June – Southampton – 07.00pm (SL Time)
1st ODI – 29th June – Durham – 3.30pm (SL Time)
2nd ODI – 1st July – London – 5.30pm (SL Time)
3rd ODI – 4th July – Bristol – 3.30pm (SL Time)
