ICC T20 World Cup 2026 co-hosts Sri Lanka have announced their 15-man squad for the upcoming series against England. He has made some surprising changes in the T20 team, which will face England in the last match before the start of the ICC tournament on February 7.
England are currently touring Sri Lanka for a twin white-ball series. The series marks preparations for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup, a major tournament starting on February 7. The tournament will be jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka.
England came back from behind and won the ODI series by a margin of 2-1, while Sri Lanka could not play to its full strength due to the ICC T20 World Cup being around the corner. England have been drawn in the same group with Italy, Nepal, West Indies and Scotland, who recently replaced Bangladesh for the World Cup.
Sri Lanka includes ODI centurion for T20I series
Sri Lanka had announced several names in the preliminary squad for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup, and the final squad is yet to be revealed. According to ICC rules, January 31 will be the last date for announcement of teams and any other changes can be made only with the special permission of the ICC.
Therefore, it seems that SLC will have to finalize their World Cup squad after the conclusion of the first T20 match against England. So they have started with a few changes to the T20I series squad, and centurion Pawan Rathnayake has been brought on board.
Rathnayake scored his first ODI century against England in the final ODI of the series, which Sri Lanka lost after desperate efforts by the batsmen. He single-handedly scored 121 runs in 115 balls. He will be important in bringing stability to the Lankan batting line-up.
Major changes made to T20I squad ahead of ICC T20 World Cup squad announcement
Sri Lanka have not only made few additions, but they have also dropped several players who have been a part of the T20I setup for a long time, leaving their T20 World Cup prospects in uncertainty.
The names that have been left out include fast bowler Nuwan Thushara, batting all-rounder Kamindu Mendis and legspinner Dushan Hemantha. Hence, Dunith Velazquez, who has been retained in the team despite not playing a T20I game for over 4 months, will be the third spinner along with Mahesh Theekshana and Wanindu Hasaranga.
On the fast bowling front, the absence of Thushara, who has been at the helm for almost two years, shows that the Sri Lankans are ready to go to any lengths ahead of the home World Cup. Dushmantha Chameera and Mathisha Pathirana will be frontline pacers, Ishan Malinga and Pramod Madushan are also in the team.
Sri Lanka squad for England T20I series
Sri Lanka’s experienced cricketer Kusal Perera, who plays only the shortest format of the game, will return to strengthen their batting department, and a lot will once again depend on former captain Charith Asalanka, opening batsman Pathum Nissanka and Kusal Mendis.
Experienced all-rounder Dasun Shanaka will remain the captain of the team. He has been confirmed to lead the Lankan team in the ICC T20 World Cup.
Sri Lanka team: Dasun Shanaka (captain), Pathum Nissanka, Kamil Mishara, Kusal Mendis, Kusal Perera, Mahish Theekshana, Dushmantha Chameera, Pramod Madushan, Dhananjay de Silva, Charith Asalanka, Zenith Liyanage, Pawan Rathnayake, Dunith Vellaage, Wanindu Hasaranga, Mathisha Pathirana, Ishan Malinga.
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