Mendis, Nissanka return for England white ball series
by Rex Clementine Prolific batsman Pathum Nissanka and white-ball captain Kusal Mendis are back in the fold after being named in Sri Lanka’s ODI and T20 squads for the six-match tour of England later this month. Both Mendis and Nissanka missed the recent Test series against India through injury. Nissanka was recovering from wrist surgery, […]
Prolific batsman Pathum Nissanka and white-ball captain Kusal Mendis have returned to the Sri Lankan cricket team for their upcoming six-match tour of England. Both players missed the recent Test series against India due to injuries. Nissanka was recuperating from wrist surgery, while Mendis suffered a hamstring injury during the LPL. This marks the first significant injury setback for Mendis, who has been a key player for Sri Lanka for over a decade.
Charith Asalanka has also returned to the leadership group as vice-captain. He was removed from the captaincy positions in both white-ball formats earlier this year and fell out of favor with the selectors. This move suggests that the experiment of grooming Kamindu Mendis as the all-format vice-captain has been temporarily abandoned.
However, there are concerns ahead of the tour. Kusal Mendis and Dushmantha Chameera have not played in the ongoing domestic tournament, leaving Sri Lanka short of competitive cricket. Chameera's lack of preparation could be particularly problematic given his history of injuries. Pathum Nissanka made a brief appearance for NCC during the T-20 competition but did not make a significant impact.
The inclusion of 28-year-old leg-spinner Sachindu Colombage in the ODI squad has also sparked some debate. While Sri Lanka's T20 game is still developing, their ODI form has shown significant improvement. The team has found consistency and made rapid strides, a stark contrast to their 2023 World Cup build-up when they had to qualify for the tournament, traveling to Zimbabwe to qualify for their place at the World Cup in South Africa.
Sri Lanka will kick off the tour with the T20 series, with the first game against England scheduled for September 15 at Southampton. The teams will then travel to Cardiff and Manchester before the ODI series begins at Chester-le-Street. The second ODI will be held at Headingley, and the tour will conclude at The Oval. The Sri Lankan squad departs for London on Saturday, September 5, giving them ten days to prepare for the white-ball assignment.
Written by urgent.news from The Island Sri Lanka's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
