Sri Lanka adds 5 more players to the original squad for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 

Sri Lanka Cricket's (SLC) selection committee has included five new players to their original squad for the upcoming ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2021, which will be held in the UAE and Oman.

The five names are Pathum Nissanka, Minod Bhanuka, Ashen Bandara, Lakshan Sandakan, and Ramesh Mendis. However, Lahiru Madushanka, who was earlier selected in the squad, will not travel with the side because of an injury.

The SLC announced on Friday:

"Lahiru Madushanka, who was in the original squad for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, will not travel with the team as he is recovering from an injury."

Sri Lanka announced a 15-member squad and four reserves for the T20 World Cup 2021 under the captaincy of Dasun Shanaka On September 12. Shanaka has been the skipper of the T20 side since the series against Pakistan in September 2019.

Niroshan Dickwella, Kusal Mendis, and Danushka Gunathilaka, who were banned for a year for violating COVID-19 rules during their trip to England in July, have also lost their place in the side. Minod Bhanuka, who kept wickets for the team, will also miss out as Kusal Perera returns from injury.

The only uncapped member of the squad is Praveen Jayawickrama. He has been included due to his spectacular performances in other formats. Jayawickrama picked up 11 wickets in his Test debut against Bangladesh in April.

21-year-old off-spinner Maheesh Theekshana, who made his debut against South Africa, has also been included in the team. The other spinners who made the squad are left-armer Praveen Jayawickrama and Wahindu Hasaranga.

Dushmantha Chameera will spearhead the team's pace unit along with veteran seamer Nuwan Pradeep and all-rounder Chamika Karunaratne. The four reserves who will travel along the squad during the tournament are Lahiru Kumara, Binura Fernando, Akila Dananjaya and Pulina Tharanga.

The new additions haven't been in exciting form as of late, but the faith shown by the Sri Lankan board means it will be interesting to see how they perform at the World Cup. With the arrival of the new additions, the squad is now studded with a total of 23 players.

Expectations aren't really high from the Lankan Lions, but stars like Dhananjaya De Silva, Kusal Perera and Wahindu Hasaranga will be itching to prove the critics wrong during the tournament.

Sri Lanka will leave for Oman on Saturday (October 3), where they will play a 2-match T20 series against the hosts in Al Amerat. The first T20 will be on October 7, which will be followed by the second T20 on October 9.

The team will begin their World Cup campaign on October 18 against Namibia in Group A of the First Round. Ireland and the Netherlands are the other two teams who have been drawn in the same group as Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka squad for T20 World Cup 2021:

Dasun Shanaka (c), Dhananjaya De Silva, Kusal Janith Perera, Dinesh Chandimal, Avishka Fernando, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Charith Asalanka, Wanindu Hasaranga, Kamindu Mendis, Chamika Karunaratne, Nuwan Pradeep, Dushmantha Chameera, Praveen Jayawickrama, Maheesh Theekshana, Pathum Nissanka, Minod Bhanuka, Ashen Bandara, Lakshan Sandakan, and Ramesh Mendis.

Reserves: Lahiru Kumara, Binura Fernando, Akila Dananjaya, Pulina Tharanga.