 The Sri Lankan selectors have sprung nothing short of a surprise by naming the
all-rounder Sanath Jayasuriya in their 16-man side that will play in the
one-off T20I and a five-match ODI series against the English side. This means
that Jayasuriya will play his first ODI since having played in December 2009 against
India and at 42, will be quite old.
The recall of Jayasuriya seemed to have stemmed from the fact that the side was
without any senior opening batsman after it was found that Upul Tharanga had failed
a drug test and captain Tillakaratne Dilshan may not go into the series fully
fit, having been hit on his thumb.
Apart from the recall of Jayasuriya, the selectors have also made many changes
to the squad that had finished runner-up in the 2011 World Cup to India.
The side will also have batsman Thilina Kandamby and wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh
Chandimal in the 16-member squad, but the bigger surprise is the fact that Kandamby
has been picked up and made the vice-captain of the side as well. The selectors
have dropped Thilan Samaraweera, Chamara Kapugedera and Rangana Herath.
Jayasuriya had earlier given up on playing in the Tests in 2007 to focus on the
shorter version of the game but seemed to have played his last game when he was
not selected in the World Cup this year. However, Jayasuriya had said that he
was fit to play international cricket and needed an opportunity to prove. This
seems to be a good opportunity for him.
Kandamby was also not a part of the Sri Lankan squad for the World Cup. He is
a middle order batsman who has done well in Sri Lankan conditions but it remains
to be seen how he adjusts to the conditions outside the sub-continent.
Sri Lanka will also go into the tour with the highly tipped Chandimal
to go with the all-rounder Jeewan Mendis while the middle-order will undergo
a drastic change. This change was in the offing as the middle-order had performed
horribly in the World Cup.
Dimuth Karunaratne gets a call-up for the first time as well while Angelo Matthews
will be a part of the side if he regains his fitness.
Squad: Tillakaratne Dilshan (capt), Thilina Kandamby (vice-capt), Mahela Jayawardena, Kumar Sangakkara, Jeevan Mendis, Dinesh Chandimal, Thissara
Perera, Dimuth Karunaratne, Nuwan Kulasekera, Lasith Malinga, Dilhara Fernando,
Suranga Lakmal, Ajantha Mendis, Suraj Randiv, Angelo Mathews, Sanath Jayasuriya.
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